A Series of Sana Events
by AllUNeedIsFaith
Summary: CHAPTER 9 UP! AU They met at a party, shared a night together and what would follow would make any cliché romantic comedy movie proud.
1. Chapter 1: The Party

**Title: A Series of Sana Events**

**Summary: AU They met at a party, shared a night together and what would follow would make any cliché romantic comedy movie proud.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.**

**Author Notes: After skipping around from story to story I think I may have finally found my grounding, this may turn out to be my next proper chapter-y story, I'm not sure yet. Let's just see how it goes eh?**

**Chapter 1: The Party**

She watched him from across the room. He was clearly the smarmiest guy here, he'd hit on half the women in the room and each of them had responded. He flicked his long blonde hair out of his eyes as he grinned, his eyes roaming over the body of his latest victim. Her arm trailed across his arm as she laughed loudly at his latest - and probably equally as lame - joke.

_Probably adding to his growing ego,_ She thought darkly, shooting him death stares which he was oblivious to. Apparently Miss Blonde Bimbo Number 4 had his full attention, what with her wandering hands and hyena laugh. She pulled on her jacket's sleeves, something she did when she was nervous or annoyed. This time it was definitely annoyed.

Why she was death-staring a guy - who was obviously a player - and his next one-night-stand, was completely beyond her. Danny was getting her a drink and being his usual smothery self when it came to her wellbeing. She was glad for the breather, and still didn't know why she was spending it glaring at some random guy. Even if he was quite cute...

"Hey Honey, how are you doing?" The sickly sweet voice of her husband reached her ears and she felt a prickle as the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She loved Danny, she did, but lately he was getting on her last nerve. She had no idea why, but whatever he did pissed her off to no end. It wasn't fair on him, but she didn't know what caused it, much less how to stop it.

"Fine." She grimaced and he handed her the glass of water.

"Do you want to sit down?" He asked gesturing to the chair, "Or are you okay with standing? Or do you want to lie down? I'm sure Libby wouldn't mind-"

"Danny!" Ana exclaimed, finally silencing her husband who was on the verge of breaking out into hysterics over the whole matter.

"I'm sorry, I'm smothering you aren't I?" He asked and Ana resisted the urge to ask who the pregnant woman was, and then ask 'But who's the one who's about to break into tears?'.

"Little bit." She agreed, he was taken-aback but then, she wasn't completely truthful. If she had been, her answer would have been 'Hell yes'.

"I'm sorry, it's just that it's a critical time right now, and nothing can go wrong."

"I know, but it doesn't mean you have to be so damn pedantic okay?"

"Okay, I'm sorry."

"Whatever." Ana's hands went to her forehead and she massaged her temples with her pointer and middle fingers.

"Do you want to go home?" He asked gently and she looked at him for a moment.

"How about you go home and I meet you there?" She suggested and his expression dropped.

"Uh yeah, sure, if that's what you want..." He leaned in for a kiss and Ana offered her cheek. He hesitated and then pecked her on the cheek and left.

"Ouch." She heard from behind her and turned to see the man from before standing behind her, leaning against the door frame with a cocky look on his face.

"You always stick your nose in other people's business?" She shot back and he held up his hands defensively.

"I was just making an observation." He defended himself and she rolled her eyes.

"How about you go make 'observations' in that corner?" She said, pointing to the opposite corner of the room.

"You're harsh."

"I'm honest."

"That too." He agreed and then looked down at her stomach somewhat pointedly, "You expectin' a bundle of joy?" He asked and her hand went automatically to her yet-to-be-swollen stomach.

"Yeah..." She said softly as she looked down at her belly, rubbing it gently.

"Well, congratulations." He congratulated her and she smiled slightly.

"Thanks."

"Was that your husband earlier?" He asked curiously and she nodded.

"Yeah, it was."

"Havin' marital trouble?" He asked and she didn't answer, "I'll take that as a yes."

"What are you, a shrink?" She asked harshly and he paused for a moment.

"Actually, I kinda am."

Well that made her pause.

"You. You are a shrink?"

"Relationship counsellor actually..." He admitted hesitantly and that caused Ana even more shock.

"What? I mean, I saw you hit on at least ten girls tonight."

"Hey, just cos I fix other people's problems, don't mean I ain't got my own to contend with. Plus, I wasn't hitting on them, they were hitting on me."

"Right, sure, of course." Ana rolled her eyes.

"I could give you my card if you want to-"

"No." Ana said immediately, not letting him finish the sentence, he looked at her, his eyebrows rising at her sudden answer.

"That usually means 'yes'."

"What is that drawn from your 'extensive experience'?" Ana asked coldly and he chuckled.

"No, common sense actually."

"Funny, I didn't think shrink's had any sense at all. Common or otherwise."

"You're funny." He said and Ana grimaced.

"The funniest."

"So, are you all wit or is there a real girl under all that?" He asked and she looked at him strangely.

"You gonna start shrinkin' me?" She asked suspiciously.

"Maybe." He answered the question with an open ended answer. Then she got a little sick of the verbal sparring game that they were playing and decided to jump right into the down and dirty, the reason behind the actions.

"Why are you here?" She asked and he shrugged.

"You've been watching me."

"What?" She asked, shock showing on her face. Sure, she had, but how had he known? Had he been watching her right back? Did he now think she was a stalker? Or that she liked him or something juvenile like that?

"All night. And that's why I'm here. First I thought you were just another girl who does that..." He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture and Ana's eyebrows rose.

"Are you aware of how conceited you sound?" She interrupted him but he continued, undeterred.

"But then I saw your husband and how you treated him..." He trailed off and Ana found her temper beginning to rise at the unshakeable, narcissistic Southerner.

"What do you mean?" She demanded.

"You blew him off as if you were the popular girl, and he was a nerd with a crush."

"Nice metaphor." Ana said through clenched teeth and he grimaced.

"Thanks."

"But it wasn't anything, I just wanted to be alone for five second without-"

"Being smothered?" He finished and she nodded.

"Yeah."

"It happens to everyone, believe me." He sounded sure enough of himself, but Ana didn't quite trust him.

"What? Everyone has the urge to stab their husband in the eye just to see if it'll make him shut up?" She asked rhetorically and Sawyer - instead of being shocked as Ana expected - just shrugged and nodded.

"Well, it varies, but yeah basically."

Once again, with the making her pause. He really was bad for her health-wise when it came to the shock-factor.

"So how did you become a shrink?" She changed the subject and tried to make it a less shocking and somewhat disturbing topic.

"I was adopted when I was 8, my adoptive parents were shrinks. They helped me a lot when I was growing up, and I want to help others the way they helped me." He revealed his past a lot easier than Ana would have, and that earned him a sort of respect from her. But it was momentary.

"Why relationship counselling?"

"Most interesting, what with all the drama. I mean, hell yeah, makes for a good show. Fireworks and the lot." His answer was somewhat unprofessional and that was where any respect that had been earned, was lost.

"One of the worst reasons to be a counsellor." Ana remarked dryly and he just shrugged.

"It's also really cool when you get them to make up." He offered, as if trying to prove that he really wasn't in it just because he wanted to make fun of the broken relationships that turned up at his door.

"I don't like people." Ana changed tacks quicker than most other people could. It could almost be counted as a superpower.

"What do you do?" The curiosity was there for a good reason, after all what career could have no human contact at all? Maybe if you were the reigning anti-social royalty.

"Client Relations Co-ordinator." She answered and he burst out laughing, she rolled her eyes and continued, "Believe me, the irony is not lost on me."

He glanced at his watch and she looked around, noticing finally that the party had dwindled and the last few were now being ushered out the door.

"Well, it looks like we're going to get kicked out so," He stood and ruffled his hair before sticking out his hand, "It's been nice talking to you..." He trailed off, clearly waiting for a name. And she gave it with a smile.

"Ana Lucia. And you..." She took his hand and his grin widened.

"Sawyer. James Sawyer." He said in true Bond style but then dropped it, "But people just call me Sawyer. It suits me better than James, much smoother."

"Oh, and you are the epitome of smooth." She replied sardonically.

"I like to think so."

There was a pause and they looked at each other through the silence, their eyes speaking more than their mouths ever could.

"Will I ever see you again?" She asked, her eyes wide and honest as she looked up at him. He paused before answering, drawing out the inevitable as long as possible.

"I don't know." He replied truthfully. She sighed and nodded slowly.

"Okay well, if I do..." She trailed off, not quite knowing what to say next so he swooped in.

"If you do, I'll buy you a meal." He promised and she smirked.

"Who could pass up a free meal?" She asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

"Not me." He replied with a wink and she chuckled.

Then, with sad smiles and lingering looks, they walked out the door and went their separate ways. Until...

"Hey, you wanna have that meal now?"

Ana turned around to see Sawyer on the sidewalk, his tie now loosened and shirt untucked. He had a questioning look on his face, as well as a hopeful smile and his arms were wide open, inviting her to join him for a midnight snack. She thought about it for about a second.

"I could go for some pancakes." She replied, her voice slightly raised so it could travel the long distance that separated them. She could see his face light up and her own did the same.

"I know just the place."


	2. Chapter 2: The Diner

**Title: A Series of Sana Events**

**Summary: AU They met at a party, shared a night together and what would follow would make any cliché romantic comedy movie proud.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters.**

**Author Notes: Sorry about the chapter mix-up earlier, it was late and I was tired and things were being annoying... Anyways, here is the REAL chapter two... I tried to make this chapter longer than the first one cos I know it was a tad short. And I also know that the characters are a little... strange... at the moment, but the reasons behind this shall be revealed later. Mostly Sawyer. His past is quite... Interesting. Anyways, on with it!**

**Chapter 2: The Diner**

"So tell me about your husband."

They were now seated in a 24-hour diner, a plate in between them heaped with pancakes and smothered in maple syrup, cream and butter. Diabetes on a plate never looked so good, according to Sawyer and Ana was inclined to agree. After he posed the question-in-statement-form Ana froze. Damn, she'd completely forgotten about him and the question through her off-guard.

"Well, um," As she stumbled around, looking for words, Sawyer continued to dig in, looking up at her occasionally. Finally she took a breath and began to speak, "His name's Danny, I met him through a friend a few years ago and he likes hockey." That deserved a noise of recognition from Sawyer through the mouthful of food.

"What team?" He asked, after swallowing hastily.

"Anaheim." She responded, loading up a forkful and shovelling it right in. Sawyer's eyes narrowed like a soldier who had just spotted his target and was readying himself to take the sniper shot.

"Anaheim." He growled and she nodded helplessly, it was the standard response here in LA.

"He was born and raised there, it was his home town." She defended him weakly, but she didn't know why - given that he was pissing her off more than her own father at the moment.

"Right, of course." Sawyer muttering, the loathing was clear in his tone.

"What team do you go for?" It came out a little harsher than she'd meant it to, but considering the way he'd been speaking for the last minute, he wasn't in a position to complain.

"Kings." He responded proudly.

"Right... And where were you born?" She asked like a smartass and he realised what she was saying and shot her a look as he replied.

"Tennessee. But I was raised here, and I support the place that has given me all this." He gestured around him with a wide sweep of his arms and Ana raised a critical eyebrow.

"Pancakes?" She asked and he shot her a dirty look.

"No, my life. I'm damn lucky to have it." He drawled slightly as he said it and Ana hid her laughter at the irony behind another mouthful of pancakes.

"Even though to Kings suck?" She asked after swallowing both the pancakes and the urge to burst into laughter. He just shrugged in response.

"We do well for the sunshine state." He said and she frowned for a second.

"Uh, I think that's Florida actually."

"Yeah well, my point is that there's a lot of sun." Then he decided to change the subject before any more embarrassment was had on his part, "So what does Danny do for a living?"

"Self-employed. He owns his own business."

"Really?" Sawyer asked and Ana wondered if he was being sarcastic momentarily but then just chose to ignore any sarcasm and answer his question.

"Yeah. He sells paint." That caused Sawyer to choke on pancakes, sputtering as he tried to regain his ability to breath. He was definitely worse than Ana when it came to hiding laughter. Ana remained straight-faced, staring at the Southerner, her expression not changing.

"What?" She asked seriously.

"He sells paint? They teach him that in Anaheim?" He asked sarcastically and Ana just rolled her eyes. Apparently it was an inside joke because he kept laughing uncontrollably and eventually Ana joined him, although she was laughing more out of disbelief at Sawyer's reaction rather than any actual humorous conclusion he'd drawn.

"You are unbelievable, you know that?" She shook her head, unable to keep from smiling as she did.

"It's a skill." He replied with a grin.

"So are you going to keep shrinking me or...?"

"Hey, at least I'm not charging."

"You charge people for this?"

"Well the price of pancakes is rising at a rate that is makin' it hard for a simple working class man like myself to keep up."

"Aw, how terrible for you." She replied sarcastically.

"Yeah, it's a regular sob story." He agreed, hand over his heart melodramatically.

"Well maybe you'll get around to telling me someday." Ana shot back, her eyes dancing mischievously as she said it, but he didn't take it as jokingly as she had meant it.

"Some day." Was his only response, with a touch of seriousness and sadness that ignited Ana's curiosity - suddenly there was subtext, and she wasn't sure of what it was.

"So, James Sawyer... Is that your birth name or...?" It wasn't the type of question that she'd usually ask, but it was the first thing that popped into her mind and she really wanted to move on from the strangeness from earlier.

"No. Sawyer was my adoptive parents' last name. My birth name was James Ford." He answered truthfully and Ana could tell that something was going on beneath the surface of the Southerner, as he didn't strike her as the type to be overly serious for this long a period of time.

"Do you ever think about your real parents?" She asked, knowing that her prodding into his private life like this wasn't something she should do, and she usually didn't. But she was curious and they'd already started down the path, so why not continue down it?

He paused before he answered, as if weighing up his answer to make sure that it really was honest and a good enough explanation so that someone who hadn't been adopted would still be able to understand.

"It's hard not to. But I don't think they were saints or nothing." He said, answering slowly as if he was still going over his answer as he said it.

"Then you're different than most." She said and he knew it was true. Most adopted children spent a good deal of their time dreaming about their real parents and putting them up on pedestals, fantasizing about where they came from and making their real parents out to be tragic heroes.

"I have my reasons." He replied seriously and another silence ensued as Ana pondered what those reasons could possibly be.

"I don't get you." She said quietly and Sawyer's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Am I that complicated?" He asked.

"Yes. One minute you're a womanising Southerner who murders grammar every time you open your mouth, and the next you're a marriage counsellor with a complicated past, who's buying me pancakes." Ana somewhat exploded with the speech, all of her confusion being expressed in that one sentence. Sawyer just stared at her disbelievingly, his eyes wide and eyebrows raised.

"Well now that you've got that off your chest can we move on?" He asked, not quite sure of the reason of the explosion and not really wanting to know either.

"No! I mean, what is this? What are we doing here?" She demanded, hysteria making her tone climb as her panic at the situation grew.

"Eating pancakes?" Sawyer replied in question form, a deer-caught-in-headlights look on his face as he tried to figure out why the Latina was suddenly attacking him.

"Yes! My husband is at home, waiting for me, and I'm sitting here with a guy I just met, eating pancakes!" If the previous explosion had seemed scary, this one was much worse. Sawyer tried to keep his cool, instead of panicking with her.

"I'm not trying to move in on his territory." Sawyer tried to explain in a relatively calm voice.

"I'm his territory now?!?" She exclaimed and Sawyer began to back-pedal quickly.

"No, I just mean..." He paused as he tried to think of a way to say it without actually saying it, but when that drew a blank he just told the truth plain and simple, "I'm not trying to make you cheat on Danny."

"Good. I don't want to cheat on him."

"Good." Sawyer echoed.

"Okay, so we agree."

"Great." Despite the fact that they were agreeing in literal terms, their voices were getting louder by the moment and they looked like they were going to start a fight right there in the diner.

During this high-tension time, they had both stood and the space in between them was closing fast. Neither noticed, both involved in the heat of the disagreement in which they agreed. They stared at each other intensely, eyes narrowed and jaws set. Neither was looking to back down as they glared at each other, daring the other to say or do something first.

Then it happened.

Ana wasn't sure who moved first, or the thinking behind it, but it happened before she was able to comprehend it.

One moment they were on their opposite sides of the table, nostrils flaring and eyes flashing dangerously, and the next they were kissing. And then...

And then they weren't.

She didn't know who had moved forward, but she knew who had moved back. Sawyer.

He was now staring at her in a way that was unnerving. Even though she could barely look at him herself, she could still feel his gaze on her. A wave of guilt swept over her, something she wasn't used to. Then, when she finally brought herself to looking up at Sawyer, she only felt worse.

For some reason, he was the one who looked betrayed, as if she had done something to hurt him. The uneasy silence started to unravel Ana and she had to break it.

"Say something." She didn't know what to say herself, so she figured that he could at least get the ball rolling or something like that.

"What am I meant to say?" He asked, his voice a monotone and his face a blank.

"Something, anything." She urged him and tried to fight the tears that were beginning to appear on the edges of her eyes, threatening to spill over her eyelids. She didn't know why she was crying, out of anger at herself, depression at the situation, or at Sawyer's reaction (or lack thereof).

"That wasn't meant to happen." He said, every word sounding calculated, as if he was making sure every syllable of every word was what he was meant to say, that he wasn't going out of the boundaries he had set himself. He was keeping himself on a tight leash, something he had been lacking earlier and something he knew he would pay for dearly.

"We established that earlier." She replied, on the border of hysteria, anger and tears.

"Then why did it?" He asked, looking up from the table top to meet her eyes. She hesitated as she looked into his, her breath hitched in her throat as she saw the look of utter vulnerability in his eyes.

"I don't know." She whispered and then her head dropped into her hands as she continued to try and prevent the tears from leaking out.

"Hey, hey," He said softly as he reached out, taking one of her hands and squeezing it gently, "It's going to be okay." He reassured her and smiled softly at her.

"How is it going to be okay?" She asked, her voice strangled as she fought through the tears.

"Because I say it is," He joked quietly and that deserved him a small smile from Ana, who rolled her eyes, and then continued seriously, "And because we did nothing wrong."

She snorted in response and he squeezed her hand again, reassuring her.

"It's true. We didn't hire out a hotel room, or have all-night-long-crazy-monkey-sex, even if that might have been more enjoyable," He grimaced and then continued, "It was a mistake. And it won't happen again. Right?" He asked and she looked at him, their eyes connected as he asked her and she saw the complete honesty in his eyes and she hesitated.

Then she swallowed and nodded, breaking the eye contact and instead choosing to look down at the table.

"Yeah, of course."

"Okay, so I'm gonna get you home, and then you're going to go to be with your husband and I'll..." He trailed off, his speech trailing off as he realised that he hadn't thought that far ahead. What was he going to do?

"Go home to your bachelor pad and be all alone?" Ana finished and Sawyer grimaced, loneliness hitting him suddenly. Then she continued, suggesting an alternative, "Or go to a club and pick up someone for a night of meaningless sex?"

"Neither." Sawyer concluded, "I'm gonna go over to my friend's place, get piss drunk and pass out on the couch."

"Well... Have fun with that." Ana said, not really knowing how else to react to it.

"I will. Now let's get you home."

Sawyer escorted her into a taxi and bid her good night, watching the taxi's tail-lights disappear from view and felt the cold creep in. He wrapped his jacket around himself tighter, shivering as he made his way home slowly.

He entered his apartment and greeted his turtle who had retreated into its shell long ago. Taking off his jacket and hanging it off his arm chair, he turned on the heater as he passed it. Going over to the fridge, he pulled out a beer and opened it.

"Well at least I half told the truth." He muttered to himself as he took a long swig. He went back over to the couch and plonked himself down, turning on the TV. The news came on and the sports anchor finished some story about the tennis and then moved on to the next sport. Hockey.

"Today the Los Angeles Kings were annihilated by Anaheim in a 10-2 victory, this only adds to the Kings' losing streak that has been going on for most of the season-"

The picture vanished, as Sawyer pressed the Power button on the remote angrily, his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. He threw the remote far away from him and leant back on the couch. Taking another swig of his beer he sighed.

How he got this way he had no idea, he used to be perfectly happy. That was, until his fiancée had left him a year ago. Kate Austen had run off with Jack the Ass (his best man) on the day of the wedding leaving Sawyer at the altar with no wife, no best man and no dignity.

That was the day he gained his multiple commitment issues, lost his belief in love and scared himself for the first time.

Jack had come to him after the wedding to apologise. And he had almost died because of it.

_Sawyer was punching him, he wasn't even aware of how they got onto the ground, nor did he care. He kept hitting him, his own knuckles losing skin as he did but he ignored that, he felt Jack's nose break under his fist and smiled cruelly. Jack's face was swelling, blood painted both his face and Sawyer's knuckles. Jack had been unconscious for a few minutes now, but Sawyer wasn't ready to stop._

_A door behind him opened but he didn't realise it until he was being pulled off Jack._

It was only afterwards that he realised that he could have killed Jack without a second thought. The fact that his best friend had gone behind his back with his fiancée, and that they had chosen the wedding day - of all days - to leave.

The anger had come from deep inside him, and he entered the first proper fight of his life. Strangely enough, he seemed to be a natural at it and got the better of Jack in a matter of moments. And from then it had all been downhill. For Jack, anyway.

There was a knock on his door and Sawyer frowned at it. Who would be knocking on his door at this time of the night? His stomach flip-flopped as he thought of one possibility but he pushed that thought back down, how would she have been able to know where he lived? It was completely im-

Possible.

"Hi." He said, his brow furrowed as he tried to figure out how she had tracked him down.

"Hey." She replied in a breathy voice, making it sound like she had just run several blocks.

"How did you-?" He started to question but she answered it wordlessly by holding up his wallet. He took it from her with an expression that told her that it was something he'd done on more than one occasion.

"Thanks," He muttered and then stepped aside, motioning with his arm, "You want to come in?" He asked and she looked at him for a moment.

"Yeah, I do."


	3. Chapter 3: The Apartment

**Title: A Series of Sana Events**

**Summary: AU They met at a party, shared a night together and what would follow would make any cliché romantic comedy movie proud.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or any of the songs.**

**Author Notes: Okay, so there was a moment in this that I wrote, then changed after a few moments of consideration. Mostly because it can't come easy to them, it can't happen with a swell of violins and a camera push-in like a certain other couple... So while this might annoy some, anger others, I'm sorry but I will have to drag it out a little longer.**

**Chapter 3: The Apartment**

"Your neighbour let me in." Ana explained as she walked in, brushing lightly past Sawyer as she did.

"Let me guess, 'Nice clothes but you won't be needing them'?" Sawyer guessed and Ana's brow furrowed at it.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" The fact that he knew - word for word - what the neighbour had said to her was more than a little creepy.

"He's lived here for years, and he always says the exact same thing to any girl who comes in. Freaked out quite a lot of mature-looking girl guides that way. And their parents." He said and gave her the 'unfortunately it's true' look and nod. Ana's eyebrows climbed up to meet her hair-line.

"Well you must've done something to get a reputation." She suggested and the look on his face was enough to tell her that it was true.

"It wasn't my fault." He whined and that told her that it was definitely true.

"I'm sure." She rolled her eyes and he grinned cheekily. Then she spotted the fish tank and went over to it, interest lighting up her face.

"You have a pet?" She asked, looking back at him momentarily and he nodded as he went over to join her.

"Yeah, a turtle." He responded as he peered into the tank with her, trying to figure out where he was hiding now.

"What's his name?" She asked curiously and he grimaced.

"Mr Man." He replied and that got Ana's attention as she turned to look at him weirdly.

"Inside joke?"

"Yeah." He said and she, accepting this, turned back to the tank. Then she exclaimed when she saw something move.

"Hey, there he is. Wassup Mr Man?" She asked and the turtle extended his head, seemingly watching Ana warily and then he turned and toddled back into his shelter.

"I guess he's a little anti-social." Sawyer grimaced on behalf of his turtle and Ana just shrugged. Then something seemed to catch her attention and she walked over to the window, staring. Sawyer followed out of curiosity, wondering what had suddenly caught the Latina's attention. She was peering out of the window and he followed her example after a moment, and when he did he stopped breathing for a moment.

The sky outside was dark, almost pulsating with a menacing energy as the clouds swirled overhead, threatening to storm with an energy that put most thunder storms to shame.

"A storm's coming." She said and was answered with a thunder clap, followed by a sudden torrent of rain that seemed almost planned.

"A storm's here." Sawyer corrected as they watched water make its way down the window with a force that was hardly found in California.

He glanced across at Ana as lightning flashed, lighting her face for a split second and making his breath hitch. She noticed him staring at her because she turned, meeting his eyes with her own. The energy crackled between them, showing that the lightning outside wasn't the only thing that could explode. Sawyer's eyes went down to her lips and he felt himself freeze up. He knew what he wanted to do, and what he couldn't possibly do.

For Ana it was just as hard, she could still remember the way his stubble grazed her skin and how it drove her crazy in a good way. Danny was always clean-shaven to the point of obsession, as if it would make his business go downhill if they saw even one hair on his jaw, and Ana was always a little put out by it. She didn't know how many customers Sawyer attracted with his bad-boy image that didn't seem to quite suit his counsellor role, but it certainly attracted her in a way that was hard for her to ignore.

Sawyer coughed, drawing both of them out of the trance that they were in and they both turned away quickly.

"Music?" He asked weakly and she nodded. He went over to the CD player and turned it on, at first it blasted the music but he quickly turned it down with a sheepish grin, "Sorry." Ana's eyebrows rose at the INXS song.

"Perfect strangers?" She asked and Sawyer just grimaced, knowing that the song choice was somewhat a surprise, considering his demeanour.

"Are we perfect strangers?" He asked her and she paused, looking at him hard, as if trying to figure out what connotations he was implying, but his face showed no emotion. He knew that he was going somewhere that he shouldn't, but it was as if his body was working without his brain, he couldn't control his speech or his movements.

"We could be." She responded cryptically and Sawyer felt the hair on the back of his neck prickle as his thoughts went to what exactly being 'perfect strangers' would denote.

Thankfully, the song changed and so did the mood. It was more sombre now as the first chords of the famous Lifehouse song started to play from the speakers. Although Sawyer would never admit it, he was a Smallville fan and the song had long been at the top of his Most Romantic songs, and one that he usually used to seduce women.

It was just his luck that it would be the song that now started to filter out of the speakers as he stared down at the Latina and hoped that his body wouldn't - once again - rebel and that they would end up in a lip lock. His muscles tensed as he saw her move forward slowly. He remained frozen on the spot as she lifted one of her hands and pushed back his hair that had escaped, tucking it behind his ear. He swallowed. Hard.

"This shouldn't happen." She whispered softly, so soft that he barely caught it. Instead of responding he let his eyes do the talking, they pleaded silently with her. What they were pleading even he didn't know, he wanted so much at the moment, to lean forward and capture her lips with his, to step back and suggest she go home to her husband, to say something, anything.

Still she kept moving forward and he could now feel her breath on his face, his own hand was now moving up to her jaw, his fingertips grazing it ever-so-gently. In the background he could hear the music swelling, building up to the climax. Then, just as their lips were about to connect...

Everything went black.

"What the-?" Sawyer started and was cut off when a forehead collided with his own, causing him to yelp in pain. The owner of the other forehead exclaimed, swearing loudly.

"Jesus-" Ana rubbed her forehead, "What happened?" She asked, annoyance coating her voice.

"I guess the storm took out the power." Sawyer groaned, also rubbing his head which was now throbbing in pain, "Jeez, what is your head made out of? Lead?"

"Yeah, I'm a robot from the future, sent to protect you. Quick, let's run away from the other robot from the future, who's evil and melts into goo." Ana replied sarcastically.

"What? Is sarcasm your best friend or something?" Sawyer shot back, the sarcasm almost as strong in his voice as it was in Ana's.

"Yeah, I'm just that lonely. In fact, not only is it my best friend, but my only friend in the entire world." Ana drawled.

"Man, we have to get you more friends Chica, you know sarcasm will eventually kill you?" He asked and she faked an interested noise.

"Really now? Wow, I better enter that into my diary's fun fact section!" Her overly sugary voice made Sawyer wince.

"Well as fun as trading witty remarks with one another is, I should go and get a candle, so we don't trip and die." He said and moved off slowly, using his hands to try and make sure that he himself didn't trip and die.

"Thankyou." Ana called out to his retreating figure that she could barely make out among the other shadowy figures in the darkness. She was on a buzz from earlier, not only the almost-kiss (she didn't know what she thought about that yet), but the 'trading witty remarks' as Sawyer had dubbed it. She had never done it with Danny, he usually bent to her will within seconds, so she enjoyed exercising her smart-ass comebacks for once.

There was a crash in the other room followed by heavy swearing, and Ana tried to peer in the darkness, but when that didn't work she just called out.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine." Came the somewhat strangled response after a few moments.

Then he re-emerged, cradling a small flame in his hands that lit up only about a metre around it. Apparently Ana wasn't the only one who realised this as he apologised for it.

"Sorry, I couldn't find anything else, I'm kinda running low on candles." He grimaced and Ana raised an eyebrow at this.

"And I thought you had a reputation." She said, mock disbelief in her tone and Sawyer shrugged nonchalantly as he placed the candle on the table and sat on the ground, motioning for Ana to do the same.

"Yeah, well candles are kid's stuff." He boasted as Ana joined him on the floor and she rolled her eyes at his ego.

"Oh right, sharp wit is worth so much more." She replied and he grinned.

"You know the price it goes for on the black market? A small fortune." He said, his smartass grin firmly in place, which was lit up by the candle and Ana chuckled good naturedly.

"You are witty." For once she wasn't being sarcastic and Sawyer's grin widened.

"I am quite witty." He agreed and Ana smirked.

"What are we doing?" It was the same question as before, but now it wasn't as lost, or as accusatory as before. Now it was just curious as Ana looked over at the Southerner.

"We're talking." He responded seriously and she reached out hesitantly, running her fingertips from his temple down to his chin. His eyes closed at the contact and he revelled in it silently.

"Looks like more than just talking." She said softly as she watched her fingertips trail across his skin.

"Looks can be deceiving." He managed to say, having to clear his throat before being able to talk properly as he looked at her through closed lashes. He barely moved his lips as he spoke, neither knew why they were speaking so softly, maybe they thought that if they spoke too loudly they would ruin the moment and cause them to be back at square one.

Ana let her fingertips travel across to his lips and she - ever so slightly - allowed them to dance over them. When she reached the other corner of his lips his eyes re-opened and he reached up, capturing her hand in his own. His eyes were dark with desire in the candlelight and Ana felt breathless looking into them.

"We can't-" Sawyer started, his voice thick as he tried to say what he wished he didn't have to, trying to stop them from doing something that they would both regret.

"Just one night," Ana interrupted him, "As perfect strangers. Then tomorrow we go on, never telling any one, we just... forget."

"I don't think that'd be possible," Sawyer said and swallowed hard, "If we were to spend the night... There's no way I'd be able to forget."

"Isn't it better than nothing?" She asked and that made him pause, he had to fight his instincts, his deepest wishes and desires, to come up with a reason not to give in right there and then.

"Maybe, but could you really forget?" He asked and he saw from her eyes that she wouldn't either. She paused as she tried to find a way to convince him to let her have this one transgression. Just this one.

"But-" She started but he cut in before she could try and protest.

"If we spent the night together, could you go on with your life, never wondering what would happen if we were given that chance? Never thinking about it when you an' your husband are goin' through a rough time?" He asked and Ana looked down at the ground, when she looked back up at him her chin was set defiantly and her eyes were alight with a fire.

"I'm an adult James, I can make my own choices so how about you let me make them and let me worry about the consequences."

"I don't want you to suffer." He pleaded with her, his eyes showing the pain that lay below his exterior. She grimaced and reached out, touching his cheek forlornly.

"It's too late for that. I was suffering long before you came into the picture. I'm asking you to take that away from me, even if for just one night." She begged him with her eyes and he felt his resolve starting to crumble.

"I don't want to be the reason you and Danny break-up. I can't be that guy,"

"You aren't." Ana reassured him but he didn't accept it.

"But I mean you-" He gestured to her stomach and her hand went to it automatically, as if defensive. And that was what seemed to bring her back to the Earth with the situation at hand.

"Oh god." Tears sprung into her eyes as she realised the implications of what she had been begging to happen, what she had wanted to do and how it would have affected her life. She looked back at him, guilt and shock on her face, "I am so sorry."

"No, Ana I-"

"I didn't mean... I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that, I'm really sorry." Then her eyes went to a spot in the distance and he saw as her world started to destroy itself in her eyes, "God what have I done."

"Ana, hey, it's okay." He grabbed her into a tight bear hug and stroked her hair, whispering words of reassurance into her ear.

"No, I was going to... Oh god I was going to..." She couldn't even say it as she began to cry. She didn't know why she was crying, frustration, anger at herself and what she had done. After a few minutes she pulled herself together and drew back from the hug, looking Sawyer in the eye, "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

"No, I wanted to be dragged. Believe me." He was telling the truth, but Ana was too distraught to recognise it. She rested her head on his shoulder again, drawing in shuddery breaths as she tried to calm herself down.

They spent the rest of the night talking, about their past, about their future and where they were going to go from here.

"My father always used to say I was damn lucky that my mum burnt the dinner that night. See, he was at the end of his shift at the social services clinic and he was going to leave when she called and asked him to bring fast food home. Anyways, in that few minutes he got a file, my file. So instead of passing it off to the next person, he read it and got interested. If she hadn't called, then he would've left and some other case worker would've gotten my file. And chances are they _wouldn't_ have asked me to join their family. Then who knows what I woulda turned out like."

"Lemme guess, loud-mouth, uncouth, swearing every other word, heavy accent..."

"Ha ha, but seriously. I don't know if I coulda been happy without the upbringing I got," He said seriously and then looked over at her, "Now c'mon Cortez, I opened up, it's your turn."

"Okay well, I had an experience kinda like yours. Just not with adoptive parents and all that. My father left when I was young, I barely knew him. My mother is a cop, a captain actually, with the LAPD. Anyways, I wanted to be a cop my whole life, up until I was 8 years old. I was walking home because I missed my bus by two seconds, thanks to my teacher giving me detention. Anyways, when I was walking I saw my best friend, a black kid called Tag, getting beaten up by a couple of white cops for no reason. I mean, shit, he was nine and these 20-something cops were beating on him. I couldn't be a cop after that."

"So how did you get into Client Relations?" He asked and she shrugged nonchalantly, giving off a non-caring vibe that seemed a little forced to Sawyer.

"My dad appeared a few years ago, offered me a job at a bank and I took it. I was struggling, couldn't pay the bills and all that so I guess I figured selling my soul to the devil wouldn't be so bad." And that was why it seemed forced, as with most people, her father was her sore spot and Sawyer didn't push that issue, he liked keeping his sensitive areas intact thankyou very much.

"And how's that working out for you?" Sawyer asked and Ana just smirked.

"Honestly? I preferred starving." She replied matter-of-factly and Sawyer chuckled.

"Cheers to us." He raised his beer bottle and Ana raised an eyebrow at him.

"Now, I don't have a problem with cheering myself, but may I ask why?" She asked and Sawyer shrugged.

"We've been through so much crap, yet we've made it out the other side. Life has chewed us up, spat us out and we still look damn good." He said and Ana raised her (root) beer bottle as well.

"I'll toast to that." And, with a clink of glass, they did.


	4. Chapter 4: The Not So Chance Events

**Title: A Series of Sana Events**

**Summary: AU They met at a party, shared a night together and what would follow would make any cliché romantic comedy movie proud.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or any of the songs.**

**Author Notes: The song from last chapter was 'Everything' by Lifehouse, which I happened to be listening to while writing. I'm reliving my Lifehouse stage atm so don't be surprised if they appear again... **

**Part of this chapter is dedicated to two faithful reviewers who have been with me since the start of my Sana craze. Well, not only them, but EVERYONE seriously you guys rock and I'm writing this for YOU!**

**Moving on, I have no idea why I put the first bit in italics... I just felt like it I guess...**

**Okay, enough from me, let's get this started!**

**Chapter 4: The Not-So-Chance Meetings**

_Ana woke up groggily and was immediately disoriented. She didn't recognise the bedroom around her, and panic started to set in. That is, until the events of last night came back to her. Shortly afterwards Sawyer entered, his hair a mess and a crooked grin on his face._

"_How'd you sleep?" He asked and she shrugged, sitting up on the bed._

"_Guiltily, considering _some_one wouldn't let me take the couch." She replied pointedly and Sawyer grimaced._

"_Well I like the couch." He responded cheekily and Ana rolled her eyes. Then she froze, causing Sawyer to look worried._

"_Are you-?" Then, before he could finish the question, she charged into the ensuite, holding her mouth with one hand and stomach with the other. A few moments later regurgitation sound came from the ensuite and recognition dawned on Sawyer's face._

_A few minutes later Ana re-emerged, to meet a somewhat green Sawyer who was now fighting his own digestive system._

"_So," He swallowed heavily before forcing a smile, "Breakfast?"_

_An hour later they were both lying on the bed, completely stuffed with the huge variety of foods Sawyer had brought from the kitchen._

"_Where did you learn to cook like that?" Ana asked incredulously._

"_Was it good?" Sawyer asked and she snorted._

"_The best I've ever had." She patted her stomach, "Don't think I'll be hungry for another ten years."_

"_Ten years?" Sawyer asked, looking over at the Latina._

"_At least." She reiterated, looking at him out of the corner of her eye, not able to actually physically turn._

"_Well I'm glad you liked the flower." Sawyer said and Ana's hand went up to the flower that was now tucked behind her ear._

"_Little known fact, lilies are my favourite flower." She said and then, "Thank you."_

"_You're welcome." Sawyer said, with a benevolent smile that made Ana smile back at him genuinely. Then Sawyer broke the moment by turning back to lie on his back once more, "I tell you what, we're damn lucky Libs always has her parties on a Saturday night."_

"_Yeah. She's smart like that." Ana replied and Sawyer chuckled._

"_How do you know her anyway?" He asked and she made a movement that probably would have been a shrug, if effort wasn't an issue._

"_She was a regular at Danny's for a while when she was renovating her house. They got to talking, hit it off and bam, we were invited. What about you?" Ana asked, actually tilting her head to look at him, which was a big deal for her in her present bloated state._

"_Through clients." He replied and Ana 'ahh'ed._

"_Shrink connections, of course. I suspected as much." She put on a detective voice and Sawyer shot her a look._

"_Then why'd you ask, Sherlock?" He asked snidely, she'd hit on a sensitive spot with the way she had said 'shrink' and made Sawyer recoil._

"_It's elementary my dear Watson, you must confirm your suspicions with a simple question, it is a fact well known by any good inspector." She put on an English accent that wasn't exactly the best possible, but made Sawyer lighten up slightly as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye._

"_And since when were you a good inspector?"_

"_Since the dawn of time." Ana replied in a spooky tone, not dissimilar from a narrator in a documentary. Sawyer laughed at her expression, which was priceless, as she attempted to be a snooty English person by sticking her nose in the air and looking down at Sawyer._

"_Well it's nice to know you've been around that long." He said and grinned mischievously as Ana made a snort of disbelief at his insolence. She, forgetting about her extremely full stomach, reached across and grabbed him into a headlock._

"_Take that back, you impudent boy!" She demanded, "Or you shall be noogie-d!"_

"_Nooo!" He protested, but it was too late as she started to noogie him, as she had promised. He laughed and yelped in pain at the scalp treatment he was getting._

"_Alright! Alright!" He gave in, and she let him go, but she soon learned that that was a mistake as he pinned her to the bed and proceeded to tickle her, "I'll show you, no-one noogies James Sawyer and gets away with it!"_

It seemed like so long ago to her now, but really it had only been two months. After they had managed to separate, she had gone home to a paranoid Danny who was on the brink of calling her mother. Ana simply lied and said that she had crashed on Libby's couch, not wanting to wake him when she came home in the morning knowing he needed his sleep. He accepted the excuse after a few minutes, and made her promise never to do it again before heading out to the store.

Things between her and Danny had fallen apart quickly after that, the paperwork for the divorce had just gone through and Ana couldn't help wishing that she had met Sawyer now, after everything had been finalised. But she hadn't seen a hide nor a hair of the Southerner after that night, and she was starting to think that his words of wisdom, had been very true.

If they had spent that night doing what they had truly wanted to, it would have been even worse than now, and Ana knew that it would have been impossible to move on from it.

She looked at her reflection and gave her hair a last flick. Her friends were insisting that she advantage of the Saturday night, and go out with them. Considering her current funk, she gave in and allowed her crazy - if not well-meaning - friends take her out on the town.

There was a knock on her door and she answered it to find her three best-friends standing on her stoop, giving a cheer as she opened the door.

"Let's go to karaoke!" Was the battle-cry as they left her house and bundled her into the car, preparing to drag her all over town starting off with the karaoke bar downtown.

As they entered the bar Ana couldn't help but catch the vibe, joining in with the others as they cheered and joked around. Then she spotted who was at the mike and she froze.

Well that was unexpected.

Sitting at the stool, cradling a guitar which he was playing adeptly, singing a less well-known Lifehouse song (Storm), was a Southerner who had to flick his long hair out of his eyes every few moments or so.

"Sawyer." She whispered to herself. In that moment he looked up and their eyes connected across the room.

"And I will get lost into your eyes and everything will be alright." His voice was soft and gentle over the speakers as he sung and Ana's eyes widened.

"Do you know him?" Claire asked and she turned to look at the Australian, snapped out of her reverie for a moment. Her gaze went back to the singing Southerner and she hesitated.

"I did. Once." She replied cryptically and behind her, her friends traded looks.

"And you let him go? Damn girl." Missy said as she eyed the Southerner hungrily.

"Miss," Lauren scolded her gently, "She probably had a reason. Right, Ana?"

Ana watched the Southerner as he thanked the rapt audience and ambled off-stage. Then her friend's question registered and she looked over at the three women who stared back curiously.

"Uh, yeah. It was back when I... Danny and I..." Ana was lost for words as she tried to explain the situation in which they had met.

"Ah, say no more Ana Lu, that man has taken way too much away from you." Lauren said, rolling her eyes in resentment at the mention of her ex-husband.

"Including Mr I-Would-Look-Hot-Covered-In-Syrup." Missy added and getting a look from Lauren. Then Claire jumped in, offering her own advice.

"We're here to forget about all these now, having a good time is at the top of the list ladies, so how about we go about that?" She suggested and they all were about to agree when...

"Cortez?" Sawyer had snuck behind Ana, and she turned suddenly to see him, something that made her about faint.

"Sawyer."

"It is you, how you been?" He asked and she shrugged, trying to appear cool and nonchalant.

"Okay, you?" She asked and he shrugged also.

"Good I guess." He shrugged, playing with the strap of his guitar, which was now slung over his shoulder, resting upside down on his back.

"We're just going to go, um, over there." Lauren butted in for a moment, dragging away a completely infatuated Missy, with the help of Claire to a booth where they could watch the action discreetly. This move made Ana and Sawyer incredibly aware of their situation, and of each other.

"Well it's been nice talking." Ana said awkwardly after the few minutes silence and he nodded.

"Uh, yeah." He mumbled and they shook hands uncomfortably and Ana went to leave, making a beeline for the booth her friends were seated at.

"Ana." Sawyer called out and she stopped in her tracks, then turned to face him.

"Yeah?" She asked, seemingly hopeful.

"I never forgot." He said, completely honest and truthful, his eyes showing that it was the total truth on his behalf. Then he turned and left, leaving Ana standing there with a frozen expression.

"Neither did I." She whispered to herself, suddenly feeling very alone.

A month later they met again, this time in a somewhat different environment. It was at the bank which Ana worked at. She was feeling a little lethargic, starting to slow down given her very pregnant state. It was one of her last weeks before maternity leave and she was looking forward to being able to relax for once, without having to worry about dealing with people and their stupidness.

She had the radio on and the DJ introduced the next song, and she froze for a moment, her fingers pausing in their constant dance over the keyboard. Then Lifehouse began to play over the small speakers, tinny thanks to the bad quality of the hand-held battery-operated radio.

"Cos it's you and me..."

She looked up and saw someone who had been haunting her thoughts for the past month. He leant against the door frame, his thumb hooked on his belt loop and a gentle smile on his face. All of his bad boy qualities that she'd seen at the party had seemed to have melted away in the past months, and all she saw now was a man who was looking at her like he...

Like he loved her.

"Hey, Cortez." He greeted her quietly and she swallowed. Hard.

"Sawyer, what are you-?" She began, a little ruffled at the fact that he was now standing in her place of work. Somewhere she went every single day, yet this was the first time she ever saw the Southerner.

"I was lookin' to open an account." He replied with a small grin and a twinkle in his eye. She stared and then swung her chair to the side, and got up slowly. He saw the 'baby bump' that had turned into a rather formidable pregnant belly and he blinked.

"What are you doing here?" She asked and his eyes went back up to her.

"What do you think?" He answered with a question that left her speechless for a moment.

"Well I don't know, that's why I asked you." She replied bluntly.

"Well I-"

And that's when the screaming started.

**Doo doo doo, let's take an advertisement break eh? Well I just want a slight suspense thing, as all TV shows have. Some big plot-altering thing happens and then...**

**Are you happy with your current internet provider? If not, give us a call on 1800-Interrupt-Your-Show. That's 1800-Interrupt-Your-Show. Hurry, places fill up fast and we think you actually care about something other than your favourite television show at the moment.**

**Well now that I have successfully ranted in the most annoying way, let's get back to it eh?**

"GET DOWN! GET DOWN NOW!"

Sawyer and Ana turned their attention to the foyer, where someone in a ski-mask was yelling and waving a semi-automatic gun about. Then he spotted them.

"YOU TWO! GET THE HELL DOWN!" He yelled at them and they dropped to the floor. Well Ana had to kneel and then fall to her side ungracefully, with Sawyer's help. But they were on the ground eventually.

An hour later everyone in the bank was lying face down in the foyer, and the guy in the ski-mask was pacing the floor agitatedly. Sawyer was lying beside Ana, and he kept eye contact with her, trying to make sure that she wouldn't panic.

"Are you okay?" He whispered and she frowned at him.

"Fine and dandy." She replied sarcastically.

"We're going to get through this." He reassured her and she offered him a small smile.

"I know." She whispered back.

"What, no irrational panic?" He asked and she raised an eyebrow.

"You want me to panic?" She asked and he shrugged, showing by his expression that he really did.

"Anything to distract me from my panic." He said and she was about to make a smartass remark when ski-mask guy lunged forward, pointing a gun in Sawyer's face.

"No talking." He growled and Sawyer shot him a dangerous look.

"Get that gun outta my face, Ned Kelly. I was comforting the pregnant woman. Do you really want a hysterical pregnant woman on your hands?" He demanded and Ana was about to protest but Sawyer gave her a look out of the corner of his eye, so she just nodded solemnly when ski-mask guy looked at her suspiciously.

"It's true. Hormones and all, I just go," She pulled a 'crazy' face and ski-mask guy's eyes narrowed slightly, but then he nodded.

"Well okay then," He agreed a look of concern in his eyes at the concept of a hysterical pregnant lady. Then he suddenly got in their faces again, "But if I suspect any funny business," His eyes narrowed and he waved the gun threateningly before moving back and continuing to pace the length of the foyer.

Sawyer and Ana traded a look before trying to muffle their laughter at the quirky behaviour of ski-mask guy.

"Well that was refreshing." He chuckled to himself and her grin was almost too big for her face.

"So... Still panicking?" She asked and he grimaced.

"Well, no, my worries seem to have eased." He admitted and she smirked.

"That's good to hear." She grinned and he smiled back at her genuinely, making her blush slightly and look down before looking back up at him from the top of her eyes. He moved to take a hold of her hand and then shifted slightly closer to her.

"I know this ain't the best place to ask but... Want to go out for dinner after all this is over?" His eyes sparkled and a smile played across her lips.

"Yeah," She replied, biting her lip which was turning up at the corners, then, "But what happened to the honourable James Sawyer who wouldn't think of even looking at a married woman?"

"Well I heard you weren't exactly... Tied down anymore." He said, ineptly trying to explain his reasons for reappearing suddenly.

"And his motives are revealed." She said jokingly and he grimaced.

"Alright, so I had you on the brain. Then I ran into Libs, and the opportunity seemed too good to pass up."

"You asked about my marital status," Ana gasped and then continued in a Southern belle accent, "Why James Sawyer, I didn't know you had it in you."

"I didn't ask, she told." He insisted, keeping his voice at a minimum, not wanting the crazy ski-mask guy to ruin the moment they were having.

"Well I'm glad she did." The joking sparkle went out of Ana's eyes as she looked over at the Southerner, it was replaced with a genuine warm smile that made his pulse spike.

That was when they realised that not everything around them was as warm and fuzzy as they were feeling. Ski-mask guy was getting more and more twitchy by the second and looked about ready to crack, taking it out on his hostages. He had just yelled at a small boy for crying when Sawyer decided it was time to intervene his psychotic ass.

"Hey! He's just a kid, how about you pick on someone your own size?" He called out from his spot on the floor, successfully shifting ski-mask guy's attention to him.

"You got something to say?" Ski-mask guy demanded and Sawyer's head tilted.

"Well I thought I just did, but here's a re-run for the slow ones. Leave. The. Kid. Alone." Sawyer's eyes flashed dangerously as he stared ski-mask guy in the eye.

"You got guts." Ski-mask guy snarled and Sawyer didn't react to it, so ski-mask guy just chuckled to himself and sneered, going back over to the boy. He looked over at Sawyer and then grabbed the boy by the collar and heaving him to his feet.

"Wanna say something now, hero?" He mocked him and Sawyer gritted his teeth as his fists clenched and unclenched at his side. Ana, seeing this, grabbed his hand and squeezed it reassuringly. He looked over at her and then back at ski-mask guy.

"No." He said, obviously holding back from the slew of swear words that were ready to spill from his mouth. Ski-mask guy chuckled menacingly and threw the boy back on the ground.

"I didn't think so."

And that was when things took a turn for the worse.


	5. Chapter 5: The Hospital

**Title: A Series of Sana Events**

**Summary: AU They met at a party, shared a night together and what would follow would make any cliché romantic comedy movie proud.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or any of the songs.**

**Author Notes: This chapter is out to show that even though they are different people - thanks to their changed pasts - some things are just meant to happen.**

**And I know that guitar is Charlie's thing, but c'moon, who here thinks Sawyer would be just the guy to play a guitar? I definitely do, plus it's damn sexy. And I'm not just saying that cos I play...**

**I'm not gonna put the whole lyrics and everything of the songs cos that's a little repetitive and time-consuming, so if you guys wanna look it up yourselves then I strongly suggest it, cos Lifehouse does rock.**

**The sections are separated by: o00o**

**Chapter 5: The Hospital**

Ana watched ski-mask guy pace warily, she looked at him differently now, he had proved that he was not only psychotic but capable of harm. Sawyer watched Ana, his grip on her hand tightening every so often, causing her to glance at him and reassure him with a small smile. A few moments later a phone rang and ski-mask guy picked it up, a surly expression shown through his eyes.

"What?!?" He demanded and his expression changed as he listened to the voice on the other end, his lips pulling back into an angry scowl.

Ana and Sawyer shared a look at this, this was not good. That was reiterated when he charged over to them and pointed the semi-auto in Ana's face.

"I'll shoot the pregnant woman." He warned, his voice a growl and Sawyer's expression darkened as Ana steeled herself against her urge to smack the gun back in his face. She held Sawyer back, her grip on his hand tightening to the point of being painful, knowing that the pain would be the only way to get him to pay attention to her.

Then ski-mask guy did something that made Sawyer really want to kill him. He grabbed Ana, in a fashion not dissimilar from the boy from earlier, and dragged her into the open, making her kneel in front of him and aimed the gun at the back of her head, execution style.

On the other end, and about one hundred metres away, was Captain Teresa Cortez, her knuckles going white as she gripped the table in front of her.

"C'mon now Capi-tan, I did my research, this is your daughter."

"Okay Jason, I'll give you what you want." She said, her eyes closing as she sat down on the chair, feeling like she had just lost a fight.

Back in the bank, Jason's lips pulled back into a sneer.

"I knew it."

"_Captain we have a shot."_

The captain thought for a millisecond and then...

"Take it."

Jason began to walk away, a triumphant sneer on his face when he suddenly fell back, a spray of red following him as he collapsed to the ground. The last impulse that his brain sent before fizzing out was to his trigger finger.

As he dropped, his finger pressed down and a slew of bullets was spat from the gun. Three of them found a target, the rest lodged into the walls and ceilings of the bank harmlessly. But those three, would do more damage than even he had planned.

Everyone instinctively ducked at the gun shots, heads in hands, including Sawyer. But when he looked up he wished that he hadn't. That he had somehow jumped in the path of the bullets. Because, at present, they were lodged in a certain Latina's abdomen.

She looked up at him, face paler than he'd ever seen before, and she whispered something before collapsing onto her side. He ran to her, sliding down to her side as he dropped to his knees next to her.

"Ana, Ana, stay with me." He whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Save my baby, please, save my baby." She sobbed quietly, and Sawyer swallowed as he felt a lump build in his throat as he looked down and saw the position of the bullet entry. He wasn't a doctor but he knew that getting a bullet in the belly wasn't the best thing if you were pregnant.

"Shh, shh, it's okay." He whispered as he bent down and readied himself to pick her up. Then he lifted her, and she cried out in pain. He whispered reassurances in her ear and then walked towards the doors. Kicking them open he entered the outside, to have about fifty guns aimed at him.

"Please, somebody help, she's been shot." He called out to the authorities and some paramedics emerged, as well as her mother.

The next half an hour or so was a blur, he remembered being in the ambulance, comforting Ana, apologising to her mother, and now he was sitting in a reception area, waiting for news from the Operating Room. Across from him sat her mother, he wasn't able to even make eye contact, he still felt guilty for letting her get shot.

The doctor entered the area and both of them stood, eager for news. He took his surgical mask off and looked at them both for a moment...

**o00o**

It was a week later and Ana was lying on a hospital bed. She was staring out the window, her hand on her stomach. It hadn't left it for the whole week. Someone entered, but she didn't turn her head.

"Hey, I know you haven't wanted to see me I just..." He trailed off as he realised that she wasn't going to respond, or even turn her head. He hung his own head and then brought a bouquet of flowers out from his back and put it on her side table, "I'm sorry."

"Do you think that helps?" She asked, her voice hard as she asked, still not turning her head.

"No, but isn't it worth something?" He asked and she turned to look at him, the emptiness on her face showing that she obviously didn't think so.

"Okay well..." He trailed off and then motioned to the roses, "If they're worth anything..." She turned her head back to stare out the window and he sighed.

"Fine."

With that he left, passing Sawyer by on his way out. Sawyer was munching on M&Ms as he came in, shooting Danny a look as he left.

"What'd Yours Truly want?" Sawyer asked and she finally turned her head, to grimace at Sawyer as he climbed into bed with her.

"Nothing." She replied and he eyed the roses on the table.

"So you don't mind if I mulch 'em?" He asked, gesturing to the flowers as he popped another M&M into his mouth.

"I was going to ask you to, actually." She said and they both grinned. Sawyer went to put his arm around her and she lifted herself up slightly so he could, and he pulled her closer as his arm came to rest at the back of her neck, draped over her shoulder.

"You scared me, you know." He said, voice soft as he allowed himself to be honest with her on a subject that he was rarely honest on, his vulnerability.

"I know." She replied as she looked up at him, "I'm sorry." Then she snuggled against him and he rested his head on hers.

"It's okay, just don't get shot again." He said and then placed a kiss on the crown of her head.

**o00o**

Sawyer woke up to the sound of sobbing. He sat up in the hospital chair to see Ana crying softly on the bed, with her back facing him, her shoulders shuddering as the sobs wracked her body. He stood, leaving the blanket on the chair, and went over to her.

"Hey." He said softly and she turned, showing that her face was soaked with tears.

"Hey." She replied, her voice coarse with tears.

"Can I come in?" He asked and she shuffled over, lifting the blanket and he climbed in. He moulded into her back, his arms encircling her as she relaxed against him.

"Thinking?" He asked and he felt her nod. He kissed the nape of her neck, "That's a dangerous past-time, ya know."

"I know." She sniffled and his arms tightened gently.

"I'll always be here for you." He said and she sniffled again, trying to pull herself together.

"I know." She replied again, this time louder and knowing that that was the complete truth. Then she turned slightly, to look at him, "I need to be alone." She said softly, not properly able to meet his eyes. He nodded, understanding, and he released her, getting out of the bed and walking over to the door. He paused for a moment, turning back and looking at the bed where she had turned her back to him once more. He took in a breath and then left.

He knew where he was going, heading to the nurse's station and he happened to see the doctor he was looking for, Ana's attending.

"We need to talk." He said darkly and the doctor looked up from the chart, mildly surprised. It was almost the end of his shift, he was counting the seconds, and wouldn't mind the last few minutes getting eaten up so he nodded and followed Sawyer back into the hallway.

"You need to take her off the sedatives." Sawyer said and the doctor's eyebrows rose for a second before he shifted slightly, hugging the chart to him and crossing his arms, blocking Sawyer off in his body language.

"I don't think so." He said and then made to go back to the nurse's station but Sawyer's arm shot out and held him back.

"You need to take her off the sedatives." Sawyer repeated, this time his voice had a dangerous undercurrent and the doctor looked back at him for a moment before standing in front of him, feet at shoulder distance, shoulders squared off and his facial expression stern.

"When she came out of surgery she was livid, attacking nurses and orderlies. She was a danger to herself and those around her. I'm not taking her off the sedatives." And with that he left, his shift now over, as he dropped the chart back into the inbox at the nurse's station and heading home.

Sawyer watched him go and he felt the anger take over, his fists clenching at his sides. Turning, he punched the wall. Hard. Then he slid down it, coming to a stop as he sat on the floor. He held his head in his hands and felt his anger melt away as the pain came through strikingly clear.

"You okay?"

He looked up to see that the question had been posed by none other than Captain Teresa Cortez.

"Not really." He replied honestly and she took a seat next to him with a slight grunt.

"I know how you feel." She replied tiredly and he looked at her with interest.

"Bad day at work?" He asked and she nodded.

"This is my only free time, so I thought I'd drop by and see how she was."

"Your only free time is 1 in the morning?" He asked and she nodded, "Triple shift?"

"More like quadruple shift." She groaned and Sawyer grimaced knowingly.

"Throwing yourself into work, very original." He said and she snorted.

"Haven't you?" She asked and he shook his head.

"Not unless they let me start shrinking people in her hospital room." He replied and she shot him a look, in response he shrugged apologetically.

"So we're both running from something." She concluded and he looked over at her, a sparkle of new-found respect in his eyes.

"Why Ms Cortez, I didn't know you had shrinkin' skills." He said and she grinned.

"I got mad skills, boy." She defended and he chuckled to himself.

"So what are we running from?" He asked seriously, wanting to know the opinion of the wiser - and older - woman.

"Home. Sitting alone, in the dark, knowing that while we were just sitting there Ana is lying here fighting for her life, fighting to deal with what happened to her." There was a moment of silence after she said it, Sawyer taken aback at her insight and then, after he recovered from the awe, he went back to his patented humour.

"I give you eleven stars out of ten." He decreed with a wave of his hand and she gave him a look.

"You know I deserve twelve." She replied with a snooty look and he grinned.

"Now now, don't be greedy." He scolded her and she put on a look of shock, as she put her hand on her chest as if to say 'Me? Greedy? Never!'.

"You're better than Danny." She said, quite out of the blue and his eyebrows knotted together at first, as if trying to figure out how she had gone from greed to him being better than Danny.

"Not that I disagree or anything, but that's kinda a random conclusion to draw." He said and she nodded.

"I know. It's the truth. You're... Interesting. He was just nice. And I mean, nice is nice and all, but interesting is what's going to get you two through the rough times. When you sum up a guy in your mind, nice doesn't count for much in the pro column. Interesting does. And I can tell you're someone who she can depend on, and that's what she needs, especially now. Danny would fall over in a stiff wind." She said and Sawyer laughed.

"I really like you, Ms Cortez." He said and she chuckled.

"I should go in and..." She trailed off, motioning to Ana's room and he nodded. She got to her feet and looked down at him, "It's been interesting talking to you."

"You too." Sawyer said as she walked towards Ana's room. She threw a smile over her shoulder, before entering the room. Sawyer let his head fall back against the wall, and found himself smiling. He was never good with parents; it was like they could sense his playboy nature. Maybe this was a sign: Look it's a parent who likes you, quick grab onto her quick!

Not that he would've needed the sign to know that.

Fifteen minutes later his ass was starting to go numb from the cold of the floor, and he was getting sick of getting looks from the hospital staff, when Ana's mother re-emerged.

"You can go in now." She said as she passed him.

"Thankyou." He called out to her back and she turned, saluting him with two fingers and a twinkle in her eye, before walking out the doors of the hospital and heading back to her job.

He got up slowly and went to the room, entering hesitantly. This time Ana was facing him and she greeted him with a sad smile.

"Hey." She said and he took it as a good sign, walking to her side.

"Hey." He replied, taking her hand in his. She squeezed it and her smile began to crack, a sob breaking through as her other hand went to cover her mouth. His eyes softened as he bent down, grabbing her into an embrace, "Hey, hey, hey, it's okay." He tried to comfort her as she shook against him gently, body wracked with pain, overwhelming feelings and memories.

**o00o**

Sawyer sat on the seat by Ana's bed, his guitar sitting on his lap. His fingers danced over the fret board subconsciously as he strummed lazily. She watched him as she lay on the bed, smiling softly. He noticed the smile and couldn't help the one that spread across his own face as he kept playing his guitar.

"What?" He asked, grinning and she shrugged.

"Nothing." She remained wordless as she continued to watch him pluck his way through chords. Then she submitted, deciding to give in and reveal her thoughts, "You always play at random times?"

"I do. It's my gift. It's my curse." He said as he continued to strum lightly. Then, as he continued to strum, he began to divulge information about his past, "This was my father's guitar. Adoptive that is. It was his grandfather's. I used to sit on the carpet and just watch him play. I was so enthralled by the way he could just play without even thinking about it."

"Kinda like you." Ana inserted and he grinned.

"Yeah. I struggled so much at first, I just wanted to be able to be like him, y'know? Like most kids I guess. Then one day I could play. And I played anything I could, anything I could get my hands on. I still play every night, but now I get to use the net to find music. And believe me, that's a lot easier than hanging out at music stores for hours trying to figure out what chords to play." He grimaced at the memories and Ana found herself smiling at his own happiness. He really loved playing, he seemed to be in his element when he had a guitar in his hands.

"Play something?" Ana asked and he grinned.

"What'd you like to hear?" He asked and she thought about it for a moment.

"Lifehouse?" She asked and he smiled, chuckling and then thought for a moment, still strumming instinctively as he did so.

"Alright, famous or not? Cos it's either 'Hanging By A Moment', which is pretty damn over-played, or somethin' else."

"Something else." Ana replied and watched him as he thought.

"Okay, this song's called Joshua." He said, grinning at her as he strummed the first few chords and began to sing softly, his voice having a tinge of rasp as he did, his accent putting a new spin on an old song.

Ana watched him as he sung, in awe of the Southerner whose voice was somehow even more breathtaking than she could've dreamed. She'd only heard him sing the last line of Storm in the karaoke bar, and that had barely shown the skill that he had. But now, lying on the bed, she felt humbled listening to him.

He looked up to her as he sung, winking at her, and she couldn't help but smile abashedly, blushing. He finished the song with a flourish of a last chord and his voice faded to a whisper. Then he gave her a lopsided grin as she stared at him, silent in her astonishment. Then she broke out into a wide smile.

"That was amazing." She said and his grin increased.

"Thanks."

She gestured for him to come closer to her and he did so, jumping into the bed next to her. He offered her the guitar and she took it, feeling awkward as she tried to get a hold of the instrument. He chuckled as he watched her strum the open strings experimentally.

"Good, good. Now," He arranged her left hand on the fret board in a way that she would most likely forget the second she lifted her fingers. He nodded, and she strummed. She looked taken aback at the sound that came out, as if surprised that she was able to create such a noise. He laughed at this and then rearranged her fingers once more and she strummed again, no less surprise when it came out sounding quite alright.

"That's good." He said and she strummed again and he laughed good-naturedly, "Damn, you'll be better than me in no time." She snorted at that.

"I wish." She said as she tried to remember the first position her fingers had been in. He watched her as her brow furrowed in concentration and smirked at it.

He kissed her on the forehead as she continued to toil away at learning to play the guitar, every so often offering her a tip and showing her how to do it easier. Then he sat back and watched her as she gradually got better and better, feeling his pride for the woman in front of him grow, as did his love.

Then she looked up at him, the expression of a child who had just gotten the hang of riding a bike on her face as she smiled cheekily at him. He felt a pull on his heartstrings as he smirked back.

"Thankyou." He didn't know if she was talking about him staying by her side almost 24-7, or for never wavering in his support of her, or just for simply letting her play the most prized possession of his life.

"You're welcome." He responded as he leant in for a light kiss and he meant every syllable.


	6. Chapter 6: The Church

**Title: A Series of Sana Events**

**Summary: AU They met at a party, shared a night together and what would follow would make any cliché romantic comedy movie proud.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or any of the songs.**

**Author Notes: Okay so this is a massive time jump and all... Just cos I wanna. And also, I had the idea bouncing 'round in my head. Sorry this took a while, I been busy with holidays and going out and enjoying myself... I got distracted... I tried to make it long to make up for it, hopefully... Anyways, here it (finally) is!**

**P.S. I kinda gave in with the whole song fic, so there will be some lyrics in this chapter, specially at the end, but not the whole song, and I try not to make it too obvious so yeah...**

**Chapter 6: The Church**

Sawyer was sitting on stone stairs, a cigarette dangling between his lips as he brought out his Zippo and proceeded to light the cancer stick. He heard a sigh next to him and turned to see Hurley take a seat next to him. He greeted him with a strong handshake and Hurley motioned to the cigarette with a concerned expression. Sawyer looked down at the offensive stick of carcinogenic agents and then sighed, grinding it down on the step.

"You cost me a fortune in those man, y'know?" He grimaced at Hurley who just chuckled, a booming timbre of a laugh that made Sawyer smile slightly.

"Just trying to save your life." Hurley offered, his eyes twinkling with good humour as he smiled widely.

"Yeah, thanks for that." Sawyer said, patting him on the shoulder.

"So, the big day... Again." Hurley started and Sawyer drew in a breath.

"Yeah... Hey, do me a favour. Can you not run off with my fiancée...? Please?" Sawyer asked Hurley, his best man, and Hurley laughed again. Sawyer rolled up the cuffs of his white shirt and adjusted the bowtie that was strangling him gradually.

"Sure thing man." Hurley promised and then grinned, "Don't think she'd pick me over you anyway." He said sullenly and Sawyer looked over at him.

"Ah c'mon man, you're an attractive young bloke, with a lot to offer." He tried to convince him and Hurley raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"Really now?"

"Yeah, I mean you play drums! If that don't get the chicks in I don't know what does!" He exclaimed and ruffled his hair making Hurley burst out into a beaming smile.

"Any cold feet?" Hurley asked and Sawyer looked over at him for a moment before looking back out onto the front yard of the church.

"Naw man. None at all."

"You sure?" He asked and Sawyer shot him a look.

"Yeah, why? You want me to have 'em?" He asked and Hurley raised his hands in defence.

"No, no, man. It's just... At your first wedding, you were a wreck." Hurley said and Sawyer's expression darkened.

"Maybe that's cos my damn bride ran away with my 'best friend'." He growled and then saw the puppy dog expression on Hurley's face and reeled it in a bit, sighing, "Or maybe it was cos I knew I was making a mistake long before those two ever decided to run away to Timbuktu or wherever."

"You're making the right decision now, dude." Hurley reassured him with a hand on his shoulder. Sawyer smiled slightly, the ends of his lips turning up.

"I know."

**o00o**

"Ohmigod, am I really making the right decision? I mean, I don't know, the rest of our lives? Together. Forever. And ever and ever and ever and ever..." Ana was freaking out in the changing room for her and her bridesmaids, a room just outside of the entry of the church. She was fast running out of breath, delivering the paranoid monologue all on one breath and not daring to take another.

"Ana! Shut up!" Lauren ordered and Ana shut up for a moment. Silence prevailed for a second before...

"But what if-?"

"Ana! You need to take a breath and calm the hell down, okay?" Lauren hissed and she took the advice, drawing in a much-needed breath. Her hands started to play with the white wedding dress, her eyes downcast as she withdrew into herself.

"Seriously, where is the smart, witty, confident chick we all know and love?" Missy asked and Ana looked at her, eyes wide with fear.

"Ana, Sawyer is a great guy and we know that you two will have a great life. We've seen you with him and the chemistry..." Claire trailed off as they all shared a look.

"But I mean-"

"No!" Lauren held up a finger.

"But-"

"Nuh uh!" Lauren shook the finger in front of her and she looked a bit put out as she gave up struggling against the wisdom of her three best friends.

"I know that this is an amazing thing, that he's an amazing guy. So why do I feel so scared?" Ana asked them and they shared a look before Missy stepped forward, to deliver their point of view without causing too much insult hopefully.

"Cos the last time you got married, you hooked up with a guy who owns a paint store." She said matter-of-factly and the expressions on both Lauren and Claire's faces showed that that wasn't their view on the matter. Lauren stepped forward quickly, shaking her head furiously.

"No, that's not it. Don't listen to her, she's crazy." Lauren said as she stepped in front of her, "You're just scared because it's a huge commitment and you're not sure if you can trust yourself, or him for that matter I mean..."

"No, no, you're both wrong." Now Claire stepped up to the plate, bending down beside Ana and making eye contact with her, "You don't want yourself to be happy. Since you lost the baby... You feel guilty. And you know this day will make you the happiest you've ever been. You don't want to give yourself that. But I'm begging you Ana, let yourself be happy."

"Well that takes masochism to a new level." Missy remarked dryly behind Lauren.

"You know, you're all right." Ana said, realization cutting across her features as her fear and worry disappeared, "Thankyou." She thanked them, a smile finally appearing on her face.

**o00o**

"Mr Sawyer, if you're quite ready to proceed...?" The priest came out to greet the two men and Sawyer took a breath in.

"Ready as I'll ever be." He responded with a grimace. The priest nodded and gestured inside. Sawyer rolled down his sleeves and put on his coat. Then he shot Hurley a smirk as they climbed the steps and entered the church.

"Let's rock and roll."

**o00o**

There was a soft knock on the door and all four women turned to look at it as it opened slightly, Libby poking her head in. She smiled at them sheepishly before opening it properly and stood there awkwardly, her heels skirting the hall.

"You look wonderful." She told Ana who just smiled as graciously as she could, "The ceremony's about to start so..." She trailed off and Ana shared a quick panicked look with her bridesmaids before Claire put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We'll be right out." She promised Libby, who smiled and nodded, leaving and closing the door behind her. Then she turned to Ana, "Take a deep breath, it'll be fine."

"How can you be sure?" She asked and her three best friends shared a look.

"Because." They chorused in unison, making Ana smile as they all laughed.

"Can you guys give me a moment alone? I just need to-" She gestured vaguely and Claire nodded, cutting her off.

"Yeah sure, come on guys." She ushered the other two out, leaving Ana alone in the change room. Ana turned in her chair to look at the three mirrors behind her, looking into her reflection's eyes before sighing and looking down at the bouquet she was holding tightly.

"I do." She said and then looked up at her reflection, taking in a deep breath, "I do. I do." Each time she said it differently and eventually gave up, shoulders sagging slightly. Then the wedding march began and she took in another deep breath before looking herself in the eye, biting her lip.

"Showtime."

**o00o**

It was a beautiful ceremony, white and red adorning the hall, with a large bouquet of lilies on a pedestal at each of the pews.

When Ana had appeared at the doors, albeit a little late for her cue, Sawyer felt his heart - which had been hammering away in his chest painfully - relax and his hands - which had been balled into fists - also relaxed. Hurley put a hand on his shoulder, a silent 'I told you so' from the man who had become quick friends with the Latina on their first meeting.

As Ana had walked down the aisle she met the eyes of the guests, each of them smiling up at her as she passed them. The butterflies only increased as she reached the end of the aisle. However, it had gone largely without a hitch, to the relief of both the bride and the groom.

After a sermon from the priest, a round of 'I do's, picture-taking with all possible groups of people, and a run through the crowd throwing confetti (minus the pigeon-exploding-rice), Sawyer and Ana climbed into the horse-drawn carriage to be taken to their next destination: The reception.

They arrived and another round of picture-taking was had, leaving Ana quite sick of smiling and feeling like her lips were about to fall off. Sawyer was doing no better, after the first round he was feeling a little worse for wear, but the smiling was still coming naturally. Now, he felt like his face would never return to true form.

After the newly-weds were finally allowed to retire to their seats, the dinner started. Sawyer and Ana, having escaped the mind-numbing process of taking fifty photos in a row, were back to being joyful, thanks to the chance to relax and just talk, laugh and joke with each other and their closest friends and family.

At the end of the dinner, the DJ announced that he would pass the floor over to the resident band and everyone cheered loudly, turning to Sawyer and his groomsmen. Sawyer looked over at them as they grinned mischievously.

He had no idea that they had planned this, but apparently, that was the way it was supposed to be. After the urging from the crowd had reached its peak Sawyer finally gave in and followed the rest to the stage. Sawyer assumed his place at the microphone, tapped it and - finding it on - leaned in and smiled apologetically.

"Well I don't actually have my guitar here-"

At that someone behind him coughed, causing Sawyer to turn and face Hurley who was holding the guitar sheepishly. He took it with a deadly look at Hurley who just took his places behind the drums with an innocent look on his face. Sawyer strapped on the guitar and looked over at Charlie, who was strapping on his bass. Then he looked over at Jin who was plugging in the keyboard and organising it.

"I guess everyone but me knew about this huh?" He asked, looking at his band mates first and then out at the crowd. His band mates grinned sheepishly and shared looks while the crowd cheered him on. He shook his head and then experimentally struck a chord on his electric guitar.

"Alright fine. May as well do somethin' that has always been a favourite for me then." He said and then turned to tell his band mates, "And no arguing neither, you guys owe me." He warned and they nodded, submitting to the somewhat ominous words. He covered the microphone and told the band what his choice was and the regret on their faces was obvious.

"Ah, c'mon Sawyer I mean..."

"Please, we just..."

All he did was hold up his hand and they all groaned, giving in. He grinned before turning back to the audience.

"This is called 'Fool' and it's by Lifehouse. Guess who it's dedicated to." He said and then winked at Ana, to the delight of the audience, who laughed raucously. The song started slowly - just the guitar, and then drums, to begin with - before Sawyer's voice floated over the top of it. He sang with a mischievous grin that made people laugh, both because of his expression as well as the lyrics.

"And trying not to fall asleep now." He smirked, causing another roar from the crowd, including Ana, as they launched into the chorus with a bang.

As the last chords of the song faded slowly Charlie patted Sawyer on the back and they shared a few quiet words. Then Charlie took his guitar, and gave his bass to Jin, who put it away behind one of the speakers. Sawyer climbed down the stairs and made his way to Ana. Huffing as he plonked himself down next to her, he kissed her cheek.

"Hey." He said and she smiled at the kiss.

"Hey. Nice singing." She complimented and he grinned.

"Thanks, I had good inspiration." He responded, smirking at her as she blushed lightly.

"Why'd they kick you off?" She asked and he snorted.

"I've been hammering Lifehouse on them for the past few months." He replied and then added, "Plus, they wanted to give me a chance to dance at my own wedding."

"Ah, I hear that is quite nice." She replied nonchalantly.

"You hear?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Well it's not like I have any experience." She said and then turned the puppy-dog look on Sawyer.

"Well hot damn, we better go get you some of that then." He said with a grin, as he offered her a hand and she took it, puppy dog look replaced with a wide smile. When they reached the dance floor Sawyer tucked one arm behind his back and bowed, offering the other to her. She took his cue and curtsied, accepting the hand and then, with a wink from Sawyer, they began to dance slowly to the song.

"The big guy's doing well." She said into his shoulder as she rested her head on it gently. He chuckled, causing a rumble to ripple through his - and her - body.

"Yeah he is. I don't know why you two hit it off so damn well." He said and she pulled away slightly to look him in the eye, with a smirk.

"And you never will." She responded surreptitiously.

"_What if they don't like me?" Ana asked, locking and unlocking her fingers together as Sawyer pulled up next to a warehouse. He turned off the car and glanced over at his girlfriend, who was now fretting next to him in quite a cute way._

"_Ah c'mon now sugar, what's not to like?" He asked and then gave her a quick kiss on her temple. Climbing out of the car he looked back when he realised she still hadn't moved. He gestured for her to follow, and when she didn't he raised his eyebrows questioningly. He saw her sigh and undo her seatbelt, getting out also. She stood next to him as they stared up at the warehouse, he put an arm around her shoulders._

"_Attagirl."_

_They entered the warehouse, Sawyer guiding her via the arm around her shoulders, while also keeping her from turning around and leaving. A few metres away three guys were sitting around, yelling at each other, which didn't really help Ana's first impression. Sawyer let out a weak laugh while getting a look from Ana, and then decided it was time to intervene._

"_Guys! Guys!" He yelled, letting go of Ana so he could walk towards them, waving his arms around maniacally, "What's wrong?"_

"_Charlie wants to play Dashboard Confessional songs." Hurley stated and Sawyer groaned. It had been a sore point between the band, which band to cover. Charlie preferred the somewhat more rock-y songs, but lately Sawyer had crossed over to the other side of the argument, liking the softer, Lifehouse-type songs._

"_Yeah well, they're bloody good. And I'm getting sick of this lovey-dovey stuff." He grumbled and then noticed Ana standing there awkwardly. He brightened immediately, finding a way out of the argument that he was sick of having, "And who's this then?" Sawyer recognised the subject change but didn't say anything, only offered his hand to Ana, causing her to step forward next to him._

"_This is Ana Lucia Cortez." He said, looking at her with an expression that could only be described as pride and love then he looked back at the three males in front of them who were looking very interested, "My girlfriend."_

"_So he's finally taken up a proper relationship. I am honoured to meet the woman who reined him in. My name is Jin." The Korean man stepped forward, bowing before shaking her hand formally._

"_Well, uh thanks." She said, feeling a little bewildered at all the formality._

"_Don't mind him. I'm Charlie." Charlie was the second to greet her, hand stuck out and a lopsided grin on his face, "Nice to meet you Ms Cortez."_

"_You too." She said, shaking his hand. Then the last guy ambled up, a warm smile on his face. He also stuck out his hand, but when she took it, he grabbed her into a bear hug._

"_I'm Hurley. Good to _finally_ meet you, Ana." He said and she laughed at the sudden warmth from the big guy. She stood awkwardly for a second before patting him on the back._

"_Thanks Hurley." She said and he withdrew with a cheeky grin. Then he seemed to remember something and leaned in again, whispering something in her ear. After he said it she lit up immediately, and drew him into another hug._

"_Thanks big guy." She thanked him again and the other three traded puzzled looks. True, Hurley could be quite charming and nice when he wanted to be (which was constantly), but they'd never seen someone react so positively before. He really must've turned up the charm-o-meter this time._

"_So you guys play a lot?" She asked and Sawyer nodded._

"_Three times a week at the least." He said and her eyebrows rose at this, that was often._

"_It's a little... straining." Hurley admitted, and everyone glanced at Charlie who saw the looks and protested._

"_What? Are you saying I strain you?" He asked incredulously and they shared a look._

"_Yeah, little bit."_

"_Uh huh."_

"_It's true."_

_All three men chimed in almost simultaneously, and Ana couldn't help but laugh on the inside at the puppy dog look that came over Charlie's expression._

"_Fine! I give in!" He said, throwing his hands up as he went over to his bass which was now at rest and began to hug it to him, comforting himself with its presence._

"_Can you excuse us for a second, hun?" Sawyer asked, the grin from the triumph still plastered on his face. Ana nodded and he went over to the guys, sharing a hushed conversation. Ana tried not to listen but she could tell that something big was going down by the way Hurley reacted. Then, just after he had exclaimed and jumped up, he looked around with narrowed eyes before calming himself down. Ana just shook her head and chuckled to herself._

"_You mind if we practice a bit?" Sawyer asked, giving her the big innocent eyes, but he didn't need to. Ana nodded, not needing to be convinced._

"_Of course, go ahead." She reassured him, a smile on her face that made Sawyer light up. As the guys got ready behind him he leaned in and gently kissed her, cradling her hands in his._

"_Now we got a bunch of talented guys here, so instead of bass Charlie's gonna cover for me and Jin's gonna cover for him using the keyboard somehow... Never really understand how he manages..." His brow furrowed as he thought about it but then he shook it off as he continued, "And my man Hurley's gonna be the ace drummer he always is." He explained and Ana just raised an eyebrow._

"_And what are you going to do then?" She asked and he grimaced._

"_This," He said and then got down on one knee in front of her, still holding her hands in his. Hurley hit the high hat suddenly, causing Ana to jump as she realised there were other people there as Jin started to play. Then Sawyer started to sing and Ana once again forgot there was anyone else in the vicinity._

"_Cos I am hanging on every word you say and even if you don't wanna speak tonight that's alright, alright with me, cos I want nothing more than to sit outside your door and listen to your breathing, yeah yeah..." Sawyer reached into his pocket as he launched into the bridge and brought out a velvet jewellery box._

"_Cos I just want to be here tonight..." He said as he opened the jewellery box and he stopped singing, letting Charlie take over the chorus as he spoke softly to Ana, "Please Ana, I can't picture a future without you in it. So I just wanna know one thing, will you be my wife?"_

"_Will you make me pancakes?" She asked after some deliberation, nose crinkled up in thought. He grinned at her humour and chuckled._

"_Every morning for the rest of our lives." He promised, with a smile so gentle that it seemed like the god's honest truth, and her lips quickly spread into a 1000 watt smile._

"_Of course."_

"So not even a hint?" He asked and she shook her head.

"Not even a hint." She replied with a self-satisfied grin that made her look like a cat that just ate the canary.

"Fine, I'll ask him." Sawyer shrugged it off and Ana watched him for a second before sighing, giving in.

"Okay, okay. Remember how he told me something?" Ana asked and he nodded, "Well what he said... It made me like him right away."

"So it wasn't his undeniable charm?" Sawyer asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Oh that too." Ana replied flippantly and Sawyer shot her a look. She replied with a cheeky grin, "What he said was simple, but amazing."

"You gonna build up the suspense any more?" He asked and he twirled her away from him and back again.

"Well yeah, cos I'm never gonna tell you what he said." She said simply and he tilted his head at this.

"Why so?" He asked, putting on a hurt look and she looked indignant.

"It's personal." She replied, sounding affronted.

"Good way to start a marriage, keeping things from your husband." Sawyer played the marriage card and Ana sighed, knowing that she had him.

"Alright, I'll tell you Mr I-Gotta-Know-Everything. He told me 'Welcome to the family, I know you'll be around for a while. He really loves you, ya know.'" Ana finished and then looked up at him. He raised a hand to cup her jaw gently.

"I oughta give him more credit." Sawyer said and she nodded.

"Yeah." She was slightly annoyed that she was made to reveal the secret exchanging between them, it seemed lamer now that she said it out loud, but when Hurley had said it, it made her feel the most at ease she'd been since Sawyer had mentioned meeting his best friends.

"I'm sorry." He apologised and Ana just waved it off.

"I shouldn't've baited you like that." She muttered, not able to meet his eyes, and he kissed her on the forehead, making her look up at him.

Then the music stopped suddenly and Charlie's voice came over the speakers.

"Uh, I'm kicking the rest of the guys off just cos I can see their women wanna have a dance. So I'll be carryin' on myself. And this goes out to all you lovers out there. It's a _Dashboard Confessional_ song, 'Hands Down'." He seemed to stress Dashboard Confessional, and it made Sawyer grimace, Charlie was still sore over the whole 'which band shall we cover?' issue.

He traded in his electric guitar for an acoustic as the two other guys passed him, thanking him as they did. They went to their respective women and he started to play his guitar in a way that rivalled Sawyer's own, his right hand hovering over the body of the guitar, fingers dancing over the strings and causing a slew of notes to spill from it. Then all of a sudden he stopped and began to strum it at a speed that made Ana's eyes widen slightly.

Then Sawyer reminded her of who should have her attention as he traced her jaw line. She looked back at him, and seemed slightly ashamed that her attention had been captured by the Englishman. They began to sway gently to the music. Charlie began to strum harder and faster as he launched into the chorus.

"_My hopes are so high that your kiss might kill me. So won't you kill me, so I die happy. My heart is yours to fill or burst, to break or bury, or wear as jewellery, which ever you prefer."_ Charlie sang out loud and Sawyer rested his forehead on Ana's.

"I love you." He whispered, his lips barely moving as he felt a tug at his heart strings, his chest tightening as he realised that he was finally with the woman he loved, for the rest of his life.

"_Hands down this is the best day I can ever remember, I'll always remember the sound of the stereo, the dim of the soft lights"_

Her arms went around the back of his neck as she began to finger the wisps of hair which were present at the top of his neck.

"_The scent of your hair that you twirled in your fingers, and the time on the clock when we realized it's so late, and this walk that we shared together."_

"I love you too." She responded, her voice at the level of his, making his chest contract even more. It was almost painful how much he loved her in that moment, hell in all moments.

"_The streets were wet and the gate was locked so I jumped it, and I let you in."_

"Who knew this could be so perfect?" He asked quietly and she smiled.

"I hoped." She admitted and he smiled reassuringly.

"_And you stood at your door with your hands on my waist and you kissed me like you meant it."_

"I'm gonna kiss you." Sawyer said, his expression unreadable. At least, unreadable to Ana who was centimetres away from him and was so lost in his eyes that she couldn't tear herself away.

"Well you don't really need my per-" She started and was cut off when he leaned forward, closing the small gap between them and kissing her.

"_And I knew that you meant it, that you meant it, that you meant it, and I knew, that you meant it, that you meant it..."_


	7. Chapter 7: The Morning After

**Title: A Series of Sana Events**

**Summary: AU They met at a party, shared a night together and what would follow would make any cliché romantic comedy movie proud.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or songs. Songs are 'Night of My Life' by Damien Leith, and 'I Miss You' by Incubus.**

**Author Notes: Okay so I've decided that any singing is gonna be in italics as well as past flashback type things, just cos I feel like it. Once again, sorry about the delay. I've been pretty obsessed with this TV show I'm writing as of late, but I'm starting the finale of the first season soon, so that should get a break and I can concentrate more on SANA stuff, if the ideas present themselves to me readily. Sorry again guys, I try my hardest to get the longest, best quality chapters out to you but it usually doesn't work out. Also, any spelling/grammatical errors are probably due to the fact hat I'm writing this into the wee hours of the morning. And lack of a beta.**

**Anyways, enjoy...**

**Chapter 7: The Morning After**

Sawyer watched silently as Ana slept, breathing quietly. He pushed her fringe, which had fallen over her face after she'd shifted slightly, back with two fingers. The beginnings of the sun's rays began to filter through the curtains of the hotel room and he glanced up to see that the sky was turning an orange-pink colour as the sun began to peek over the horizon.

His attention turned back to the Latina as she breathed in and out. He followed her every movement, his eyes going over her as he memorised every curve, every part of her skin, as well as the three blemishes that scarred her otherwise perfect skin - the mark that the bullets had left on her. He reached out and traced the scars gently, running his fingertips over them.

He felt his jaw clench as he thought of the man who had caused the pain that had haunted the woman he loved for so long, and had to remind himself that he was dead, or Sawyer would go out and try to kill him. He almost wished that Jason shared the same immortal properties as his namesake from the movie franchise, just so that he could bash the crap out of him.

Whenever he thought of that day, he felt an anger sweep through him, causing his caveman instincts to come to the surface as he felt the urge to hit something with a club - or possibly his fists - and it usually took him a while to return to his normal demeanour. This time was no different, but as he looked down at Ana, he couldn't help but feel the anger at the long dead robber change into love for the woman lying next to him.

He leaned over and kissed her softly on her forehead, and when he withdrew her eyes fluttered open slowly. He sat back against the headboard, drinking in her beauty as she woke up gradually, her eyes focussing after she blinked a few times. He saw the momentary confusion at her unfamiliar surroundings and then remembered his manners, that had gone forgotten.

"Sorry." He apologised quietly for waking her. Her eyes went up to him as he spoke and she seemed to remember where she was.

"Don't be." She replied with a gentle smile spreading over her face, "What time is it?" She asked, stretching slightly. Sawyer looked over at the hotel clock and winced.

"Six thirty." He replied and she groaned.

"Darling," She started with a 50's wife tone, making Sawyer wince further, "We just fell asleep three hours ago." The danger behind her tone was present and Sawyer tried to prevent a blow out the morning after their marriage.

"I haven't slept yet." He said matter-of-factly and she looked at him in disbelief.

"Why not?" She asked curiously and he shrugged.

"I like to watch you sleep." He replied and the smile was back.

"That's sweet. Stalkery, but sweet." She said and he looked insulted for a moment.

"Hey! I'm your husband, I get to watch you sleep." He started defensively but then just continued smugly and she noticed this, smirking.

"Well then I better practice my right as a wife to nag." She threatened and his eyes went comically wide.

"Oh no no no no, please, I'll do anything, anything." He mock begged and her smirk grew.

"That's right." Was all she said as she stuck her nose up in the air, revelling in her victory. Then they both stopped joking around as Sawyer lay down, Ana curling up against his side, resting her head on his chest.

"I'm so glad I went to that party." Sawyer said, half to himself as he let his mind run a course that was unknown to Ana.

"Which party?" She asked, they had attended quite a few parties as a couple, and she couldn't exactly read his mind. Yet.

"Libby's." He said and she understood immediately and he continued, "I wasn't gonna go. But I mentioned it to Hurley, and he convinced me."

"Hurley was there?" Ana asked and Sawyer nodded, looking down at her.

"Yeah. That was how he met Libs."

"It's weird that I didn't see him." Ana said, half talking to herself and Sawyer smirked.

"Well you were a little preoccupied." He replied with a wink, causing Ana to roll her eyes.

"Well it used all my attention to keep up with your activity. I mean, the way you just kept moving from girl to girl..." She trailed off, shaking her head slightly, as if shocked at his popularity with the fairer sex.

"Hey now, I told you they were hitting on me." He tried to defend himself but Ana continued to shake her head, this time just plain sadly.

"Didn't buy it then, I ain't buying it now."

"And for that I pity you." Sawyer returned and Ana rolled her eyes once more at the egotistical answer.

"Smartass." She replied with a single word, causing him to grimace, before they settled back into silence.

"You think anyone had their wedding day on a leap day?" Sawyer broke the silence with the question, causing Ana to glance up at him. Then she shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well we almost did." She replied simply and he frowned slightly.

"If it had been a leap year then sure." He pointed out logically and she shot him a look.

"Well sorry for answering your question." She responded tetchily.

"Touché." Sawyer said, not helping her current mood.

"I could say the same to you." She shot back and he clapped a hand over his heart, mocking as if he'd just been shot in the heart. Then he opened an eye to see her reaction and she couldn't help but laugh. He then settled back down, staring off into space.

"What're you thinking about?" Ana asked as she watched him curiously.

"Last night." He responded with a slight smile playing on his lips.

"What about it?" She asked and he looked down at her, his eyes twinkling.

"Just how it was the _night of my life_." He launched into song, bursting into the chorus of a song by the latest Australian Idol, an Irishman called Damien Leith.

"Show off." Ana muttered good naturedly and he grinned.

"Well it's true. Wasn't it for you?" He asked and a slow smile spread across her face.

"Yeah." She answered softly, truthfully.

"I think it was even better cos we waited." He added and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"I don't think that counted as waiting."

"What? It was a good day or so, counts as waiting to me." He defended himself and she laughed.

"You are so male." She retorted and he laughed at that.

"Hell yeah, 100 male, babe." He said in a pure grunt voice that made Ana scoff.

"Yeah, except for the part that cries during Moulin Rouge." She retorted and he looked pained at the mention of the incident were he had shed a tear or two at the end of the movie. Perhaps more than two.

"Hey! That is a very emotional movie ok?" He attempted to defend himself, but it didn't help when his voice broke slightly as he tried - in vain - to repair his reputation.

"Sure as long as you're okay with being 100 male and 10 female."

"You can't be 110 of something, it's impossible."

"Never heard of giving it 110?"

"Yeah sure, but I don't have 110 to give."

"Aww, you really are missing out huh?"

"Yeah, I was stuck in traffic while they were giving out the extra 10."

"Damn peak hour!"

"Actually it was weird cos it was 2 in the afternoon, but I was stuck behind this really big guy in a van..."

"You done?"

"Well," Then seeing the look on her face he resigned, giving up his pursuit of the pointless rant, "Yeah, fine. Okay I got it." He pressed his lips to her forehead for a moment and then proceeded to get out of bed, causing Ana to move with a disgruntled grunt and then watch him curiously, wondering what exactly he was planning.

"So what have you 'got'?" She asked and he held up his pointer finger, looking around for something. Then he found it. He picked up the bottle of champagne that still had some sloshing around in it and held it up to his mouth, holding it like a microphone.

"_To see you when I wake up, is a gift that I didn't think could be real. To know that you feel the same way that I do is a three-fold Utopian dream."_ He sang the Incubus song proudly, and then bowed deeply, with a cheeky grin. Ana smiled lightly before repeating her earlier sentiment, although this time it was said softer, gentler and definitely with respect and awe.

"Show off."

"Well you know me, I enjoy singing to my girl." He defended himself via compliment, beaming down at her as she lay on her stomach, looking up at him.

"I know you do." She replied, the smile brightening slightly, before she reined it in as she rolled over on the bed, taking most of the sheets with her as she stretched. Sawyer watched her do so; the muscles in her arms and shoulders shifting under her tan skin and making him swallow as he thought of what was barely concealed by the 800 thread count Egyptian cotton sheets.

She stopped stretching and noticed that Sawyer's eyes had begun to glaze over and realised what was happening. She smirked to herself and wiggled her eyebrows at him, sitting up with her back to him and letting the sheet drop. Then she looked over her shoulder at him and winked.

"Up for round two cowboy? Or is that round seven?" She asked, her voice husky and she thoroughly enjoyed herself as she watched him struggle with himself as he tried to get his body's reactions under control.

"I think it's eight actually." He replied confidently, having finally overcome his momentary mental breakdown.

"Well then," She began, as she sent him her sultriest expression, "I think I hear the bell." Then she turned to face him, making him swallow once more.

"Hell yeah, bring it on." He said to himself as he scampered back over to the bed, and to the waiting Latina.

**o00o**

A couple of hours, a few meals from room service, and many rounds later, Ana and Sawyer were lying on the bed, askew as they both panted hard.

"So where'd you learn the last one?" She asked, finding it hard to catch her breath. He just looked over at her, on her opposite side of the bed and smirked.

"I been doing some reading." He replied and flopped back down on the bed, also trying to catch his breath as his well muscled chest heaved up and down.

"You can read?" The tongue-in-cheek insult from the other side of the bed reached him and he weighed up his options before finally deciding to take action. He gathered all of his strength and then launched himself from his side of the bed, across to Ana's side and began to tickle her mercilessly.

Eventually he had her pinned to the bed and looked down at her with a triumphant expression.

"Say it." He said and she remained defiantly silent, a smirk on her face. He tickled her, causing a new eruption of laughs to spill from her lips and he repeated, "Say it." She continued to remain silent, but when he threatened her by poking her waist experimentally she finally gave in.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. You got mad skills." She caved and his grin widened.

"And?" He prompted and she looked confused for a second.

"And I love you?" It was more of a question than an answer, as if she wasn't really sure what he was expecting but her answer satisfied him, as he let her go and rolled over to lie beside her.

"You ever think we'd get here?" He asked and she looked over at him.

"You have been thinking a whole lot, you know that?" She asked and he shrugged.

"Can't be helped. But seriously, did you?" He was persistent with the question and Ana sighed heavily before answering, it wasn't exactly the most reassuring build up but he waited for her answer, not wanting to think he knew what she was going to say before she said it.

"There were moments when I doubted it. Very seriously." Her tone made Sawyer's stomach drop, but she saved it when she continued, "But in others, I could picture us growing old, arguing out on the front porch while grandkids raced around, laughing and yelling." His heart warmed immediately, he too had seen these images once in a while and it tugged at his heart strings, making him yearn for the future.

He also knew what she meant by the moments that had brought doubt into her mind. He knew exactly which moments she was talking about...

"_What are you doing?" Ana demanded and Sawyer looked up at her in surprise. He hadn't been expecting her back so soon._

"_Nothing." He lied, quickly trying to cover up evidence of any wrong-doing on his part, but he had been too late. She had seen it. Her expression changed so fast, it was one of the things that had always astounded Sawyer, her ability to change tacks. She could go from deliriously happy, to incredibly angry with the ferocity of a person suffering bi-polar. Not to say that he didn't deserve it, he knew that he was responsible for her changeable moods, and hated that he made her feel the way she did._

_But instead of the all-consuming rage that he was used to, she just shook her head in disappointment. Oh no. At least with anger they could yell, scream, fight with each other, but they'd make up and the sex... Oh the make-up sex was amazing. But with disappointment there was no make-up sex. Just sulking, avoidance and straight out ignoring.  
_

_He was always scared, because disappointment was most likely to bring their whirlwind romance to an end. Anger could be forgotten easily, but disappointment would stay in the mind for the longest time. He'd seen it in other relationships he had counselled, no matter how hard the couple tried, that disappointment could not be overcome._

_He didn't want the same to happen to them._

_But he saw that look in her eyes, heard the sigh that escaped her lips, the slight slump in her shoulders as she seemed to resign to her fate. He could tell that she was readying herself to do something that would leave them both alone and miserable, something they'd been before the other had entered their lives. No matter how they surrounded themselves with people, they were somehow always alone._

"_Please don't Ana." He pleaded with her, not only for their relationship, but for their well-being, for both of their health._

"_Don't what?" She asked irritably, he often pre-empted her motives and she was beginning to tire of the marriage counsellor who knew everything._

"_Don't break up with me." His eyes begged more than anything, his tone was so vulnerable that it made her soften for a moment. But only a moment._

"_Why not?" He winced at the harshness of her tone and forced himself to meet her eyes._

"_Because I can't lose you." His voice was nothing more than a whisper, his eyes alive with fear and something that made something in her stir. A pang of sympathy began in the bottom of her chest and slowly spread up, reaching her heart and making her feel her chest contract painfully. She was about to say something when a crack of thunder beat her to it._

_Their problems were forgotten for a moment as they stared in wonder as suddenly a storm came down upon the city, the sheer force of it making the window rattle and the electricity waver for a moment before righting itself._

"_There hasn't been a storm that strong since-" Her thought remained unfinished verbally, but they both finished it in their minds. Since the first night she'd spent with him. When the electricity had actually given in and caved to the power of the storm._

_They shared an uncomfortable moment, looking at each other but neither sure of what to say. Ana sighed and turned on her heel, walking into the bedroom that they shared. Then, at the doorway, she stopped and turned to face him._

"_I don't want to lose you either." She finally said and Sawyer was left alone in the lounge. He began to seriously contemplate what life would be like without the Latina. He decided he'd rather go to hell, so he followed her into the bedroom and told her that._

But for every bad time, there were multiple good ones. Sawyer had been spoiled, most took the good with the bad. He took the good with the good, the bad such a small part of their lives that it was barely worth mentioning. He could recall every bad moment, because they were so scarce.

But what he loved the most, were the little things. The quiet moments that he would suddenly realise something that made his heart swell. The times he could truly see himself and Ana doing this for the rest of their lives, spending it together that is.

_Sawyer had cooked dinner, something he did to relax Ana, because she usually came back from her job stressed. Plus there was the fact that she couldn't cook. Today was no different, and as he unveiled his culinary masterpiece for the night, he watched her light up and kissed her on the crown of her head, pride for himself and her welling up in him._

"_Well, dig in." He encouraged and watched as she did her usual stare down. Every night after he unveiled their dinner she would stare at it intently, as if trying to figure out which way was the best to attack the intricately decorated meal. Her stare caused a line to appear between her eyebrows and Sawyer loved that line, her look of concentration was so adorable he had to do his best to not laugh._

_He had laughed the first night and she looked so hurt that he apologised immediately. Her unwavering stare was no doubt something she had gotten from her mother, and Sawyer was sure that if she had become a cop, it would have scared most criminals into confession. But every night, the food that received the stare never gave up the secret of how to eat it. But over the months she became acclimated to the complex meals and knew how to attack each one._

_Still, she stared at it dangerously, as if warning it: I'm gonna eat you, now you have no say in the matter, but I just thought I oughta tell you. Any last words?_

_His smile was so large that he was sure he would start laughing any second, but like the previous nights he managed to keep himself from offending his other half. The meal went without any large events, mostly small talk and gossip was exchanged as Ana complained about her workmates, while Sawyer complained about his tough clientele._

_They weren't the most professional people, but they knew that the small indiscretions would stay with the other to the grave. They allowed themselves these unprofessional moments so they had to strength to continue in jobs which were trying at times, especially for Ana who detested her job openly._

_Then Ana put the dishes in the dishwasher, her part of the meal was to do the clean up afterwards as she was hopeless with preparing food that didn't go beyond boiling water. After everything was put away they would sit in the lounge room, often with a drink of coffee or something similar, and would talk or just enjoy each others' company._

_This time he lay on the couch, with her next to him, her head on his shoulder. They spoke in soft murmurs, nothing too big. It was more for the sake of talking than anything else, nothing too deep would be discussed tonight. A sleepy, satisfied quality had overcome them, thanks to the utter full-ness they both felt, the meal had been more than filling. It had been positively stuffing._

_The waft of Ana's shampoo, soap, and her own distinct pleasant aroma reached his nose and he breathed in deep. He felt the pang of love strike at him and he grimaced, it was still a new experience for him and he had to get used to it._

_His feelings for Kate were more of a companionship. They were both lonely, craving something that they both knew they would never have, and they took solace in each other. But they never truly loved one another. Sawyer knew this and that was why he did not look so harshly upon Kate and Jack. True, he hated them for going behind his back. But if they had come to him, with their declarations of love for one another, he would have probably let them be._

_As he entered the somewhat soporific daze he became aware that this was the way he wanted to spend the rest of his life, content, in love, and with Ana Lucia Cortez._

_He went out to buy the ring the next day, with the help of one of Ana's - somewhat more subdued - best friends, Claire._

_The ring buying procedure had been painful, he nearly tore his hair out during it, despite Claire's patient and calm matter. He even ended up having dreams of Princess, Heart, Emerald, Step, Brilliant Round and Death Trap diamond cuts. He was pretty sure the last one was a concoction of his imagination, but you never knew._

_Finally he gave up on the jewellery industry and took Claire's advice, deciding to design his own ring, the ring he would propose with. Of course he needed help, which Claire willingly offered. Finally he came up with something that he thought would look pretty damn good on Ana (which, of course, it did) and didn't eat into his salary too much. Not that he minded, he made an absolute killing._

_He still didn't know how he was going to propose, it troubled him up to the last moment. At first he wanted to do it at the dinner table, instead of revealing a culinary delight, reveal a ring, but he decided that some clichés were better left up to men who didn't have ravenously hungry possible- fiancé on their hands._

_So he wracked his brain, so much so that Ana often caught him in contemplation and asked him what he was thinking so hard about. He was bound to give himself an aneurysm, according to her. He just shook it off and smiled secretively._

_Then it came to him all at once, when he heard her humming along to a Lifehouse song. It was so obvious he didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before. Music had been such a part of their lives, especially since the Southerner loved to serenade his girl, that it seemed natural for him to propose to her through such a means._

_Still, he didn't tell anyone of his intentions, except Claire, who he made sure to run the idea by, just to check that it was viable. She found absolutely nothing wrong with it, and encouraged him gently, causing him to light up. She was level headed, smart, and she knew Ana in ways that he would never grasp. Some things stayed between women, and women alone. _

_He trusted her with his plans, and she guarded them with a ferocity that Sawyer knew was her loyalty to Ana. He found himself gaining respect for the Australian, and in his mind thought of his own quirky foreigner best friend who was similar to her in a way that was awkward, shy and accommodating. Perhaps he'd introduce them later on._

_But for now his head was filled with concerns about the proposal. What if she said no? Claire had dismissed his fear when he first mentioned it, but it still lived in his mind. Hell, what if she fell in love with his best man? He had been planning to ask Hurley, but that didn't mean that he felt any less threatened by him than he did Jack. Jack was attractive sure, but he was also an ass, an arrogant ass who thought he knew better than everyone else. Libby had proved to everyone that Hurley was easy to fall in love with and Sawyer had never doubted it._

_Hurley had always held a higher place in his mind than Jack had, he trusted Hurley with everything. He was much more guarded around Jack. Jack was more his competitor than his friend, someone who he jousted with for everything, popularity, friends, girls. Hurley was the one who stood by his side no matter what, and he knew that he would give his life for his jubilant friend in an instant, his sacrifice for Jack would have been much more hesitant, even long before the wedding._

_Of course any thought of Hurley betraying him, was dismissed within a second. He knew the impossibility of it, almost as much as he knew the possibility of Jack doing it. But he still had other fears, fears that gnawed at him and created a knot in his stomach._

_So, as he pulled up next to the warehouse which was practically a second home to him, he felt his stomach do flip flops. Looking at the passenger seat he realised that Ana wasn't doing any better. She was wringing her hands, and looked about ready to throw up the breakfast he'd come up with on a whim. For a second he thought that Claire had slipped and told her, but he dismissed the thought. He trusted her, and knew that she wouldn't betray his trust, if not for his then at least for Ana's sake._

"_What if they don't like me?" She asked nervously and he tried to smile as reassuringly as possible as he turned off the engine._

"_Ah, c'mon now sugar, what's not to like?" He asked and kissed her temple, hoping she wouldn't realise that his hands had been shaking as he did it. He quickly squeezed his hands into fists, shaking them out, before climbing out of the car. Looking back, he realised that she was still sitting in her seat, seeming permanently fixed to it._

_He gestured for her to follow, and was grateful that the gesture managed to mask the fact that his hands were still shaking. She sighed, and got out of the car slowly. She went to stand next to him, looking up at the warehouse that probably looked imposing to her. It had to Sawyer when he first saw it, but now it was a place full of happy memories._

"_Attagirl." He said and winced at how it sounded. She isn't a dog, he scolded himself and then they walked in._

_When they got inside and got everything worked out (trust Charlie to throw a diva tantrum the day he wanted to propose), he called the guys into a meeting, as if they were a football team readying themselves to go out on the field._

"_So what's goin' on Sawyer?" Charlie could tell something was up, Sawyer never brought his girlfriends to the warehouse. Not only the fact that ht had never really had one before, but Charlie doubted that Sawyer enjoyed showing off the rusty, empty place that they practiced, just because anywhere else got sound complaints._

"_I'm gonna propose to her." Sawyer replied and Hurley was the first to react, jumping and whooping. Then he realised his mistake and looked around surreptitiously before rejoining the circle. Sawyer regarded him coolly._

"_You done?" He asked and Hurley grimaced._

"_Yep."_

"_But why here?" Jin, forever the logical, asked and then a grin spread over his face that made all three guys' stomachs drop in warning._

"_You guys are going to help me." He said with a wolfish grin and they traded looks._

"_How?" Hurley asked and Sawyer leaned in, causing the others to lean in as well._

"_Breathing." Was the only thing he said and at first the others were puzzled. Then it dawned on them slowly, some slower than others, but as the looks of recognition flitted across their faces he leaned back with a self-satisfied grin._

_What followed soon after was probably the smoothest Sawyer could have ever dreamed of wishing for. He was a firm believer in Murphy's Law, but apparently Murphy had forgotten the address or something, because everything that could go right, did._

And now he was laying in bed next to a beautiful, smart woman on the morning (or was it afternoon now?) after their wedding, watching her as she snored ever so lightly, the lack of sleep finally getting to her. Resting his chin on his arm, he smiled wanting to memorise every little detail of this day. Every feeling, every sight, sound, every face she pulled in her sleep, and every little mumble that came from her lips.

Because it was goddamn perfect.


	8. Chapter 8: The Butterfly Effect

**Title: A Series of Sana Events**

**Summary: AU They met at a party, shared a night together and what would follow would make any cliché romantic comedy movie proud.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**Author Notes: Sorry about delay, and the lack of length of the chapter, I've been flooded with all sorts of stuff, including a sequel to my other Sana story, The Bad Boy and The Cop's Daughter, which if you guys could check out, would rock...**

**Anyways, I know that the character's ages are a little screwy, they seem to be younger than their age, then older, then somewhere in between... I'm sorry, really am, but I really wanted to tell this side of their stories, that is, how they got to be the way they are. Plus, I just wanna explore the cuteness of young Ana and Sawyer. Not together unfortunately, but still...**

**And somehow Sawyer's past resembles Ryan, and by Ryan I do of course mean The OC bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks who got taken in by the generous guy who adopted him and welcomed him into his home and family. Weird, huh?**

**Chapter 8: The Butterfly Effect**

James Ford woke up in the closet. And not in a sexuality-based metaphor way. In a literal, 3D, dark as the depths of hell, closet. He still felt a little woozy, and his hand went to his head as he tried to remember why he was in a closet. He pushed open the door and saw the reason.

The people he called Mom and Dad were now lying on the ground. Dead.

And with that he ran back into the closet.

**o00o**

Ana Lucia Cortez clenched and un-clenched her hands, which were now at rest by her side. But considering the way the kid in front of her was shooting his mouth off, they wouldn't be by her side for much longer. The only thing that stopped her decking the smartass kid was her mother, and knowing that if she got in one more fight, she would let her down. And she didn't want to do that.

Especially with her birthday coming up.

Then, just when she was about to throw caution to the wind and punch him, her best friend stepped up. He was from the grade above her, but they'd been best friends since forever, they grew up in the same neighbourhood and all. His name was Tag, and he was a mischievous kid who Ana loved raising hell with.

And he punched the kid's lights out without another thought.

Ana smiled and thanked him, but he just grinned.

"What are friends for?"

Then they left, leaving a very pissed off kid. A kid who had an older brother who wouldn't mind doing a favour for him.

**o00o**

A few days later, a social worker was sitting at his desk in a Social Services facility. He was playing with his pen, waiting for the second hand on his clock to tick slowly to the top of the numberless clock, meaning that he finally would get to go home to his wife. It had been a long day, full of drug addicts, abused children, and rape victims.

He was exhausted, mentally and physically, keeping himself together in this job took all his power, and most times he wanted to go out and deck the people who did such terrible things to the people who sat before him. But that part of his life was gone, and all he had to do now was try and gain redemption through helping others.

The phone rang, just as the clock softly reminded him that his time was up. Sighing, he weighed up his options, before finally picking up the phone.

"Yeah?" He said, not bothering with etiquette.

"Could you pick up some take out on your way home, hun? I seem to have burned dinner." The voice of his wife came on the line, and he couldn't help but smile. He laughed at her words and nodded subconsciously.

"Yeah, of course. We really have to keep you out of that kitchen, you know." He said and heard her sigh on the other end.

"I know, I know."

"I'll see you soon." He promised and they traded 'I love you's, and then he hung up.

"Mr Sawyer?" He looked up to see his secretary (or really, the secretary of the whole joint) standing in the doorway, a file in hand. He sighed, ruffling his hair, before finally giving in to his fate.

"What's up Hilary?" He asked and she took this as an invitation, stepping into his office and offering the file forward.

"I'm sorry about the time and all that, but we just found him." She apologized, causing him to shake his head.

"Don't apologise, Hilary, after all, it is my job." He grimaced and opened the file.

**o00o**

Ana Lucia Cortez was revelling in her birthday presents from her party the day before. Her favourite was the police toy set she'd gotten from her mother, her first step to becoming a cop. She wore the gun and badge constantly, using the handcuffs to cuff people she thought were out of line.

She was proud of her mini police equipment, using the police tape to tape off her room, and she was now on another mission. She'd heard her mother complaining to her Aunty about how she needed to go on a diet, so she was now on her tiptoes, taping off the fridge.

It was eleven at night and Ana knew that if she was caught, she would be cuffed, but in her young mind it made sense. She even handcuffed the handle to the cupboard handle, making it impossible to open unless you unlocked them and the key was safely in Ana's pocket. Happy with her job, she began to creep back up to her room and fell asleep with a satisfied smile on her face.

"WHAT THE-?!?!" The next morning Ana was woken up by a lot of Spanish swearing, followed shortly by, "ANA LUCIA CORTEZ, YOU GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE!" Ana cowered at the sound of her mother's voice, and dragged her way down to the kitchen. Her mother looked livid, and she pointed at the fridge, which was covered with the yellow police tape.

"What is the meaning of this?" She demanded and Ana shrugged, looking at the ground.

"Ana..." Her mother warned and Ana stole a glance up at her mother.

"I heard you talking to Auntie about how you needed to go on a diet." She said quietly and then heard a quiet laughing and looked up to see her mother laughing. Ana was confused, wondering why her mother who was so angry previously was now laughing. Then she managed to control herself, shaking her head at her daughter.

"Go get dressed and ready for school before I tan your hide." Her mother said and Ana scrambled back upstairs.

She got onto her bus. Just. It was pulling away as she reached it, and the bus driver glared at her for a moment before letting her on. She just gave him the finger to his back, something he was sure to catch thanks for an invention called the mirror.

It was a largely uneventful bus ride, she showed her friends her police gear and they 'ooh'ed and 'ahh'ed while she looked proud. When they reached the school the bus driver stopped her from getting off. He was old, fat and greasy looking.

"Listen kid, you pull something like that again, and you will pay." He warned her and then let her go. She pulled a face at him as he drove away, firmly sticking up both middle fingers.

**o00o**

James Ford found himself in the office of a Social Services facility. He was sitting in a chair that dwarfed his size, and he was playing with his toy cars in the air. In front of him an exhausted, unshaven man sat, watching him carefully. He watched James with an interest that contrasted his exhaustion-riddled movements and appearance.

Neither of them spoke for a good while, James happy with being lost in his own world of Cars, and the social worker happy with watching his actions. Eventually James got bored with his cars, which were blue and red, the paint on them chipping at the constant collisions. Then he seemed to realise there was a man opposite who was watching him intensely.

"Is you a pe-do-phil?" He asked the man, who just raised an eyebrow at that.

"A paedophile?" He asked and James nodded.

"Yeah, is you one of those?" He asked and the man chuckled, shaking his head.

"No I'm not James." He reassured the youngster, whose face just screwed up.

"But my mom says only pe-do-phils looks at kids hard, like you was doin' to me." Then the boy looked horrified as he said, "Do you wanna pe-do-phil me?"

"No, no, no. I'm afraid we got off on the wrong foot." The man got out of his chair and crouched down in front of Sawyer, bringing him down to eye level, Sawyer watching him warily all the way. Then the man offered him his hand, "I'm John Sawyer." The eight-year-old regarded the hand and then shook it, a superior look on his face.

"My name's James Ford." He said, as if remembering his manners.

"It's nice to meet you James." The social worker said formally and James smiled.

"You too, Mr Sawyer." He said, a small amount of shyness managing to creep its way into his attitude. The social worker smiled warmly.

"Please James, call me John." He said and James smiled.

"Okay."

"Do you miss your parents James?" John asked and James thought about it for a moment.

"I-I guess. Haven't really thought about it." He said, shrugging, and then hesitated. John watched as the boy fought to get a hold of his feelings, probably not sure of how to express the thoughts going through his head.

"Well listen James, do you have any grandparents, or relatives, or friends, you could stay with?" The social worker asked and James thought about it, but then shook his head. The social worker weighed up his choices for a moment. The boy had been found in a closet, having stayed there for two days in a row, not eating or drinking, he was barely alive when they found him.

The reason he'd been in the closet was because a grisly murder scene had taken place right outside of it. The boy's father had shot his wife, and then himself. It wasn't strange that James hadn't been able to pass the bodies, to call someone or even eat or drink something. He was brave though, and despite the fact that he had buried his feelings, John knew he'd need someone to talk to eventually, throughout the years.

Then his thoughts turned to his wife, and their inability to conceive. She had disagreed with his idea to adopt one of the troubled kids that he came across at work, but James was different. He had nowhere to go, no one to go to. And there was no way John was letting this kid get swallowed up by the system, there were too many holes in it, and there was no way of knowing how he'd turn out because of it. He'd already been made a victim, and he didn't deserve to be one again.

So he took a chance, one he knew his wife was going to make him pay for, and he asked the boy something that would change things forever.

"Would you like to be a part of my family, James?"

**o00o**

Ana Lucia Cortez turned up to home room late, causing her already grumpy teacher who had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed for the last 20 years, to give her a detention. She grumbled but didn't complain, after all, she didn't want to spend her whole week in detention cleaning off the gum under the seats and tables.

The school day dragged, and then detention dragged even longer. By the end of it Ana was so sick of the school that she was seriously considering setting it alight. Finally, she was free to go and she ran out of the school, needing the fresh air. Then she watched as her school bus drove off, the driver waving to her as he passed, a malicious grin on his face.

She felt all the relief leave her and groaned as she realised that she would have to make the long walk home.

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

"Dude, what the hell-?"

"Just put the damn thing on, okay?"

"Why? What the fuck is this?"

"It's a damn costume, just put it the fuck on."

There was rustling in the bushes and then it was followed with a few hefty swear words.

"Hey, there he is, shut the fuck up. Shut up!" There were some hisses and cursing and then silence.

Tag walked along the street, bouncing slightly to the music that he was plugged into via headphones. He mouthed the words along with the rap artist and pulled his hoodie over his head, trying to act like he was a real gangsta. The two boys in the bushes nudged each other and then walked out, stopping him in his tracks.

"Uh, can I help you officers?" He pulled down the headphones and one of the boys, who looked about 16 or 17, stepped forward.

"Yeah man, you can." He stepped next to him and rested his arm around his shoulders, "See, my brother told me that you decided to beat his punk white ass." Tag looked at the two boys, who were almost double his age, his eyes wide with fear.

"But, why are you-?" He asked and the other boy sneered as he stepped forward, on the other side of Tag.

"This whole police get up? My idea."

"He thinks he's the brains of the bunch."

"I am the brains man, now no one is gonna think of fucking with us."

Ana walked along the side of the road, wishing that the evil bus driver would have all sorts of punishments come upon him. Right now she was thinking locusts, boils and the plague. What could she say, she was old school. A thin sheen of sweat covered her forehead, thanks to the heat wave that had swept through L.A. for the past few days, plus the fact that the long walk home was really, really long.

She heard sounds that indicated fighting around the corner and gelt her stomach drop, but she jogged over to the corner anyway, peering around the tree to see...

One of her best friends, Tag, getting beat on by a pair of white guys from the LAPD. She didn't see much behind the uniform, didn't think to. She couldn't even see their faces, just saw them beating up her friend, her innocent friend. Her best friend, her first friend in the world, the only person she could depend on besides her mother.

She felt herself freeze, unable to move or speak, she couldn't cry out, even if she tried. She just watched as those cops continued to bloody up her best friend.

Eventually they got tired of beating up an unconscious nine year old, and walked off. Ana finally found that she could move again, and ran over to Tag.

"Tag, are you okay? Tag?" But he was unconscious, and unable to answer her. She then picked him up (call it the adrenalin of the moment) and took him to the nearest emergency room. After a few hours wait, they finally saw him and she began to walk home again.

She got home three and a half hours late, and was confronted with a mother who was ready to call out the FBI, CIA and Secret Service. She got the lecture and punishment of a lifetime before being sent up to her room. She hadn't offered her mother an excuse for her lateness, and hadn't even said a word when she got back. Teresa, too wracked with anxiety, didn't catch it and let her anger get the best of her.

When Ana closed the door of her room, she went over to her police kit, which was lying on her bed where she'd left it this morning, and stared down at it. Then she felt tears prick her eyes and grabbed the kit, throwing it into the bin and curling up on her bed, hugging her pillow to her before letting the tears flow down her cheeks.

**o00o**

It was James' first night in the Sawyer household and he was lying on the bed in the guest room, which mostly consisted of cream colours and Spartan décor. He'd noticed the tension between the two adults as he'd followed John into the house. The shock, silence, and then the terse 'Can I speak to you for a moment please?' followed by the hushed, but somehow and the same time loud, argument in the next room.

He might not have the best grasp of the English language, but he knew tension when he saw it, mostly because he'd seen so much back home. So he just remained quiet as he pushed the Chinese take out around on his plate with his fork.

He heard the door open and sat up as light filtered into the room. John walked into the room, closing the door behind him and flicking on the light.

"Hey, I wasn't sure if you were up." John said and James shrugged. John sat on the edge of the bed, "Couldn't sleep?" James nodded. John nodded, "Me too."

They sat there in silence and John began to speak again.

"Listen, I'm sorry about dinner. I probably should've told my wife I was bringing home a kid." John said and chuckled.

"Am I really a stray?" James asked, the first time he'd talked all night, and John looked at him suddenly.

"No, you aren't. Listen up, little man, you are a good kid. Anyone can tell, hell you're probably a prankster, but I don't mind that, I used to be one in my day too. You got dealt a bad hand, a really bad one. And I wanna make sure you don't get dealt bad hands any more. Ever. People in this world go through too much, we don't need one more kid going through that too. You are going to be a hell of a man, James, I know it. So I'm not gonna let you get swallowed up, you deserve a second chance. Hell, a first chance really." John said, his eyes shining with a passion that made him such a good social worker in the first place.

James just stared back at him with eyes that were too big for his face, unsure of what to say. Then he finally found his voice, saying the only thing that really came to him, as his mother's voice entered his head, reminding him about his manners.

"Thank you." He replied quietly and John smirked.

"There's a lot more where that came from kid, you'll be growing up with speeches just like that one." John said as he ruffled his hair.

"Really? I'm staying?" He asked, the tension and fighting between John and his wife had made James doubt that he would last the night, but now his eyes shone as John offered him his first chance.

"Hell yeah, little man." John said and ruffled his hair again, "Now try and get some sleep, tomorrow is gonna be a big day." With that John walked back to the doorway, flicking off the light and opening the door. He looked back at James once, the light from the doorway spilling across the room and lighting up James' face.

"Good night James." John said and James smiled, a little kid smile that was all teeth and joy, the first time John had seem James smile that way.

"Night."


	9. Chapter 9: The In Laws

**Title: A Series of Sana Events**

**Summary: AU They met at a party, shared a night together and what would follow would make any cliché romantic comedy movie proud.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

**Author Notes: Whilst writing the last chapter I suddenly realised that Sawyer and Ana's parents hadn't been mentioned at the wedding. Oops, especially considering how close they are. So this is kinda to make up for that... Hopefully.**

**Haha also, I realised after reading Missy's review that John does say 'hell' a lot in front of an eight year old kid... HMM, that probably shows what I'm going to be like if I ever do end up getting a bunch of little ones myself...**

**Chapter 9: The In-Laws**

Sawyer walked into the room, going through the mail, and he looked up to see Ana sitting on the couch, phone in hand, looking like someone had dropped a tonne of bricks on her. He went over to her and kissed her on the cheek, and when that evoked no response he decided to just straight out ask.

"What's up?" He asked as he settled in next to her on the couch and she looked at him, as if finally realising he was there at all.

"My mom's getting remarried." She said, obviously not over the shock yet, but Sawyer's response was somewhat different.

"Really? Ms Cortez finally settling down? I wonder who the lucky guy is, not a lot of them can hold their own against her." He had a big grin on his face and Ana gave him a look, obviously not too excited about the upcoming marriage herself.

"From what I heard, you do pretty well." Ana returned and he grinned.

"I've already got myself a Cortez woman, and believe me, one is more than enough." He replied and, for his efforts, got punched in the arm.

"I didn't even know she wanted to get married again, or have a relationship at all." Ana said and Sawyer studied her.

"Do I detect a hint of annoyance?" He asked and she shot him another look.

"No. I mean, why would I be annoyed? Just because she never told me, or even mentioned it to me. I'm just..."

"Annoyed at being left out of the loop?" He asked and she glared at him.

"No. I'm not annoyed at all. Watch me being not annoyed." She said and tried to remain expressionless. Sawyer just sat there, waiting for her to crack, and crack she did.

"Okay, so I'm annoyed. I mean, she couldn't have even mentioned it during those weekly dinners? I mean, they a_re_ every week and not a word."

"It's not like you asked." Sawyer tried to point out the logical view, but Ana was having none of it.

"I shouldn't have to, I mean, I'm her daughter, y'know?" She sighed and let her head fall against the back of the couch.

"Well, I mean there was that one time..." He started and she looked at him with a confused expression.

"What time?" She demanded and he shrugged.

"A couple of weeks ago..."

_It was that time of the week again. Every Sunday night, Sawyer and Ana had their parents over and they would have dinner before settling down and having a discussion of some sort. It ranged from religion to politics to the future of cheese. It had been Sawyer's suggestion at first, because both he and Ana were used to going over to have dinner with their parents once a week, and soon enough it turned into a weekly thing._

_Thank god there was none of that 'in laws from hell' thing going on, because it would've made things a lot more interesting, but a lot more strained. They were truly a family, Sawyer had connected with Teresa in the hospital, and Sawyer's adoptive parents were quick to accept Ana with her no-nonsense attitude and the obvious love that she and the man they thought of as their son shared._

_The doorbell rang and Ana was quick to answer it, she always felt slightly left out when getting ready for dinner, given that she could do nothing to help Sawyer. She opened the door to find Sawyer's parents there, smiling broadly. Ana gave them both hugs and invited them in. John took Sarah's jacket and went to hang it up, excusing himself to go into the kitchen and help Sawyer out._

"_So what is your man whipping up for us tonight?" Sarah Sawyer asked and Ana blushed slightly as she admitted she had absolutely no idea. Sarah saw this and winked at her._

"_Don't worry, my husband is the same about the whole cooking thing. Won't let me in the kitchen at all. Says I'll jinx the food." She said and laughed good-naturedly._

"_Now I know where Sawyer gets it from." Ana said and they both laughed. When Ana had first called him Sawyer in front of his parents they looked at him for a moment before laughing. It was weird, considering they were all Sawyers, but after years of him bringing home friends who called him that, they were used to it. Ana attempted to call him James for a period of time, but it was just too weird._

"_Yeah, you get the two of them in a kitchen and they're in their own little world." Sarah chuckled and the doorbell rang again, causing Ana to excuse herself._

_She opened the door to find her mother standing there with a huge smile on her face._

"_Mom, hey." Ana greeted her warmly and they embraced._

"_I'm not late am I?" She looked slightly flustered and Ana shook her head._

"_No, Sarah and John just got here." She reassured her and the Latina woman smiled thankfully. Then curiosity took over Ana and she asked, "Are you okay?" Her mother looked over at her, and she saw the hesitation, but it was quickly covered up with a smile._

"_Yeah, of course, why wouldn't I be?" She answered with another question, something that drove Ana crazy, but didn't comment as she ushered her mother into the dining room._

"She probably wanted to tell you, but then did that thing that you do." Sawyer pointed out and Ana looked miffed.

"And what thing would that be?" She asked, her tone sharp and Sawyer even winced slightly at it, but didn't offer any hint of backing down.

"Thinking about it so much that you manage to trivialise it in your mind and convince yourself that you don't have to talk about it." He said nonchalantly and Ana was about to dish a biting remark but then realised that he had her completely figured out. Damn shrink.

"_So then he told her, 'What girls? I'm alone!' despite the fact that they were lying right there, next to him. She almost killed him, would've if the maid hadn't chosen that moment to enter." Sarah told the story and everyone laughed. Ana elbowed Sawyer playfully._

"_Sounds like something this one would do." She said, looking over at him cheekily. He looked over at her, raising his eyebrows at the obvious taunt that was designed to get a rise out of him._

"_Oh really now?" He asked and then John and Sarah burst out laughing. Sawyer turned to them, looking insulted, "What's so funny?"_

"_That it actually happened," John said and then to Ana, "Not with girls, but with cookies." Ana lit up, looking forward to another story about what Sawyer had gotten up to in his younger days._

"_One day John decided on a whim that he should bake some cookies, and then left them out to cool. And when we got back from the other room, I'm not sure what we were doing. Anyways, we walk in to see James with his mouth stuffed full, and two full handfuls of cookies. When we asked him why he was taking it upon himself to consume all the cookies he just looked at us with this innocent expression and said, through a mouthful of cookies might I add, that he had no idea what we were talking about, and didn't know there were any cookies to begin with." Sarah finished the story and making Ana and Teresa join the other two in laughing, whilst Sawyer tried to remain passive, attempting to hide his embarrassment._

"_SO, what about you Teresa? Any embarrassing stories about Ana that you care to share? I would settle for her throwing a tantrum in a super market, really, anything at all." Sawyer tried to shift the attention off of him and Ana slapped him on the arm lightly._

"_Well I do remember this one time..." She started and Ana looked horrified, once Teresa started an embarrassing story it wouldn't end until everyone present knew every single detail, "Ana was quite little, when her father was still around. It was Fathers day and I remember she desperately wanted to bake a cake. I told her no, but she didn't take no as an answer. I was upstairs, doing some paperwork and I heard a loud whir and then a shocked yelp. I went downstairs, worried that something had happened to her. I found Ana completely covered in flour, as was the rest of the kitchen. For some reason she thought it would be easier to mix the ingredients if she put them all in the blender. Without the lid on."_

_Now it was Ana's turn to remain quietly embarrassed whilst everyone burst out laughing at her activities as a young 'un._

"_Okay, okay," She attempted to get a hold of the raucous laughter and waved her arms around, "I think that that is enough reminiscing about how embarrassing your children were during their childhood." She said and shot Sawyer a look that caused him to agree immediately._

"_Uh yeah, let's move on, huh?"_

"_Well I dunno, I mean we have a lot more stories..." John joked, pretending to be hesitant about moving on from the subject that made all the older adults shake with laughter._

"_Well, our roof our rules." Ana insisted and the parents looked at each other, with bemused expressions._

"_That is the sound of our past coming back to bite us on the ass." John pointed out and shook his head, chuckling, "And on that note, I think I'll go do the dishes before I get sent to my room." And Sawyer, ever the gracious host, helped his father in the kitchen._

"_Looks like it's just us girls now, just the way I like it." Sarah winked at the two Latinas and they all laughed. Then Sarah's attention turned to the older of the two, "So what's new Teresa? Any... developments that I might find interesting?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Ana turned to her mother, curiosity plain on her face._

"_Developments?" She asked her mother, who reddened slightly. Which was especially weird, Ana had never seen her mother blush in her whole life, yet now she was doing it._

"_I think I'll go help the boys in the kitchen." She excused herself, going into the adjoining room._

'_What was that about?" Ana asked, trying to chuckle, but it ended up sounding nervous. Sarah looked at her, her expression unreadable, and then finally she also chuckled, though sounded just as strained as Ana's._

"_No idea..." Ana could tell that her mother-in-law wasn't divulging the whole truth, but chose not to poke around for information._

"Okay, so I admit something a little weird was going on, but... Hey, you weren't even there, how would you know?" Ana demanded and Sawyer winced.

"Something happened in the kitchen..."

_Teresa had just escaped the lounge room, and doing the dishes was starting to look more attractive by the moment._

"_Teresa!" John looked shocked that another person would willingly come to do dishes duty, but seeing her expression he didn't say anything._

"_Here to tell us to bring in the ice cream?" Sawyer asked jokingly._

"_Actually no, I'm here to help." She said, offering her palms up in a gesture of surrender, "So what can I do?" She asked and John put down his tea towel._

"_Well we actually just finished up here, so we were about to have some ice cream before going back in." John said and Teresa smirked._

"_So that's why you boys never eat any when you come back in. And I thought you were being generous." She said and they looked at each other and shrugged._

"_Sorry. So now you've discovered our secret, will you join us?" John asked and offered her a bowl and spoon, she considered it._

"_Of course if you don't, we will have to kill you." He said seriously and she laughed._

"_Well I guess I don't have a choice then..." She said and accepted the offered bowl._

"_So why'd you choose to take refuge in the kitchen?" Sawyer asked and then added, "Not that we have anything against it."_

"_Uh, no reason." She tried to smile sweetly but both men just shared a look._

"_Is this about what you were talking to Sarah about?" John asked and was encountered with shocked looks from both of the others. Sawyer, who was clueless about what he was talking about, and Teresa who had no idea he knew._

"_She told you?" Teresa asked and John grimaced._

"_I have my ways. Blackmail is surprisingly easy when you're married." He explained and Teresa seemed to accept it._

"_It is about... that. And Ana doesn't know, so it was awkward. In the 'very' sense." Teresa said, staring intently at her bowl of quickly melting ice cream._

"_Ana doesn't know what?" Sawyer asked and the two older adults looked at him, as if suddenly remembering that he was there to begin with. Teresa's mouth opened into an 'o' and she seemed to lose the ability to talk, while John had his 'oh hell' expression firmly in place._

"_Uh, nothing." Teresa replied, and Sawyer simply raised an eyebrow._

"_Ah, c'mon now, I won't say anything. Is it about that promotion you've been up for?" He asked eagerly but received no response, the two parents just sharing a look. Teresa seemed to be scolding John's utter lack of ability to keep a secret, while John was trying desperately to apologise._

"_Seriously son, it's nothing." John said, his eyes begging Sawyer to not push it any more. Sawyer took one look at his begging father's eyes, and Teresa's glares that were being shot his way, and decided to let it rest._

"_Okay, well, we'd better go feed our wives before they start a ruckus."_

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ana demanded and Sawyer just gave her a look.

"Yes, because you would've replied so well if I come up to you and say 'I think something weird's going on with your mum'. I didn't even know what was going on." He defended himself, but it didn't improve Ana's mood.

"Still, could've used the heads up." She grumbled and Sawyer shot her another look.

"We both know what your response would have been."

"Oh yeah smartass? What would it have been?" Ana asked and Sawyer shrugged.

"Something along the lines of 'Be more specific or stop annoying me'." He guessed and Ana's expression showed that she had been thinking something alone the lines of that but she quickly covered it up by shaking her head.

"Nuh uh," She insisted, Sawyer just watching her calmly, while she tried to come up with something to prove him wrong, "It would've been 'Honey, I've had a long day at work, filled with screaming toddlers and grumpy businessmen, whilst being hounded by a boss that hates me, so maybe you should corroborate your story and have all the facts before jumping the gun and annoying me'," Seeing the look on his face she added, "Or just 'go away'."

Sawyer saw her sigh and stare down at her hands and knew what to do. He moved closer to her, and taking her hands in his, made her look up at him.

"You love her right?" He asked and she frowned slightly before answering.

"Yeah, of course." She'd never doubted that, even while cursing her mother's ability to compartmentalize her life.

"So what you should do is obvious." He stated and she nodded after hesitating slightly.

"Yeah." Was the only verbalisation she offered and Sawyer squeezed her hands reassuringly.

"The only question is, what are you _gonna_ do?" He asked and she sighed before meeting his eyes and mumbled, like a child who was being told off and forced to admit the truth.

"What I should do." She grumbled and he broke out into a wide smile.

"Attagirl." He said and leaned over, kissing her temple. Then he left the room, giving her the privacy to do what was right. She grumbled for a little longer, mimicking him and his overly wise ways. Then she sighed and gave in, picking up the phone and dialling a familiar number.

Sawyer watched her silently from the other room through the crack between the door and the frame.

"Hey mom, yeah it's me..."

He smiled to himself and turned away, closing the door quietly.


End file.
